Meet David G. Schuster

Associate Professor of History

Raised near San Diego, California, Dr. David G. Schuster earned his B.A . in history from the University of California, Berkeley, his M.A. in history from the University of Michigan, and his Ph.D. in United States history from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He spent the first part of his career teaching public high school in California before moving to Turkey to teach in Istanbul. He earned his Ph.D. in the spring of 2006 and began teaching at (then) Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne that fall. 

Schuster’s research centers on the question of how Americans have defined “normality” and “abnormality” since the Civil War. His book, Neurasthenic Nation (Rutgers University Press, 2011), looks at the formation of America’s therapeutic culture from 1869-1920 and the development of a health-care economy fueled by optimistic promises of comfort and happiness. Schuster’s research interests span from American medical history to the history of American culture.