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American History,
American Religion

I am an historian of the US, with a particular interest in the nineteenth century. During the first part of my career I wrote about Southern identity and culture, primarily using music to understand how Southerners thought of themselves and their society. I have examined many forms of music in the South, from rock and roll and classical music, to folk and sacred song.

The American South still fascinates me, but I have also begun writing and teaching US transnational history, with a particular interest in the US-Pacific encounter. Currently I am writing a cultural biography of Niijima Jo, tentatively titled A Heart in Two Places: The Adventures of a Transpacific Samurai. I use Niijima to explore how the US and Japan made sense of each other in the earliest years of their acquaintance.

I am especially eager to work with students interested in US history, transnational encounters, the Pacific World, contemporary American politics and society, Southern studies, religion, and global Christianity.