Shamira Gelbman has been on the Wabash faculty since 2012. In addition to a wide range of courses on American politics, she has taught freshman tutorials on bodybuilding and food labeling controversies, as well as interdisciplinary courses on the civil rights movement, health, and the political history of 91自拍.
Dr. Gelbman’s research focuses primarily on the role social movements and interest groups play in American politics. Her book, (Temple University Press, 2021), explores how nearly a hundred organizations collaborated to lobby for federal civil rights legislation during the 1950s and 1960s. She is also the co-editor of (Bloomsbury, 2026) and is developing a new project on women lobbyists during the era of World War II.
A native of Brooklyn, NY, Dr. Gelbman attended the City University of New York’s Hunter College before heading south to the University of Virginia for her graduate degrees. Before coming to Wabash, she taught at Illinois State University for five years. In her free time, she enjoy word games, painting, and road tripping.
Education
Ph.D. in Government, University of Virginia (2008)
M.A. in Government, University of Virginia (2003)
B.A. in Political Science, Hunter College of the City University of New York (2000)
Recent Course Offerings
100+ Years of Woman Suffrage: Women as Voters, Candidates, and Elected Officials
Congressional Elections
Don't Say Cheese: American Food Label Controversies (freshman tutorial)
Election Polling & Public Opinion
Governing Wabash
Introduction to American Politics
Politics of the Civil Rights Movement
Protest & Public Policy
Senior Seminar
Sociology & Politics of Health
Recent Publications
Gelbman, Shamira and Sebastian Karcher, editors. 2026. "," PS: Political Science & Politics 59(2):385-409.
Gentry, Bobbi and Shamira Gelbman, editors. 2026. . Bloomsbury.
Gelbman, Shamira. 2025. "," Studies in American Political Development 39:1-13.
Gelbman, Shamira. 2021. . Temple University Press.
Gelbman, Shamira. 2016. “Issue Coverage on Twitter: Evidence from Two 2014 Senate Races,” in , Glenn Richardson, ed. ABC-CLIO.
Gelbman, Shamira. 2015. “Interest Groups, Twitter, and Civic Education,” in , Michael T. Rogers and Donald M. Gooch, eds. Lexington Books, pp. 273-290.
Gelbman, Shamira M. 2011. “,” Journal of Political Science Education 7:4, pp. 359-374.
Gelbman, Shamira M. and Jesse H. Rhodes. 2011. “,” Polity 43:2, pp. 154-178.
Gelbman, Shamira M. 2007. “,” Polity 39:2, pp. 259-275.