Jim Gulley
Historian

My research and teaching in history is interdisciplinary and include elements of political science, economics, religion, and literature.

About Me

Historian  ●  Author  ●  Corporate Executive  ●  Investor

Leveraging Experience to Inform my Scholarship

After a 28-year career with The Coca-Cola Company, I embarked on a second career in academia in 2020.  I earned an MA in History from the University of Mississippi in 2023 and am currently a second year doctoral student at SMU.

During my career at Coke, many of my roles employed similar skills to those required of a historian: critical thinking, investigating sources, public speaking, and persuasive writing.

My immediate goals are to finish my coursework at SMU in May 2025, pass comprehensive exams in Fall 2025, and finish my dissertation in early 2026 so that I can graduate in May 2026.

My first journal article, on the history of William Faulkner’s Greenfield Farm, is scheduled for publication in the Spring/Summer 2025 edition of the Journal of Mississippi History

My Work and Projects

Political and Cultural History of the American South  ●  History of Christianity

Publications

Journal of Mississippi History

Mississippi Encyclopedia

Algernon Sydney Sullivan Foundation Centennial Magazine

University of Mississippi, MA Thesis

Work in progress

Southern Methodist University, Doctoral Dissertation

Article, “John Knox and the Unintended Consequences of the First Blast

Digital Humanities

Mississippi Elections Database

The Diaries of Kathryn Brumfield Gulley, 1937-1981

Algernon Sydney Sullivan Foundation Archives

Scholarship in progress

Here are a few things I am currently working on

What My Colleagues Say

One of my favorite things about academia is collaborating with outstanding and interesting colleagues

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Captain Drew Brozovich United States Army Graduate Student in History, SMU

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John T. Edge Writer-in-Residence and Director of the Mississippi Lab, University of Mississippi Host of ESPN's True South

Jim’s leadership in organizing our panel for the 2025 SHA convention in St. Pete Beach exemplifies his exceptional collaborative spirit. His deep historical knowledge, combined with his remarkable ability to communicate complex ideas and foster meaningful discussions, makes him an invaluable colleague in academic settings.

Garrett Potts, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Religious Studies University of South Florida

Stay In Touch

I am eager to connect with anyone interested in similar areas of scholarship