I am an historian of 19th- and 20th-century U.S. history, with a special focus on imperialism, capitalism, and the Pacific Ocean. In my book, Coconut Colonialism: Workers and the Globalization of Samoa (Harvard University Press, 2022), I argue that the globalization of Samoa at the turn of the twentieth century was driven by a diverse group of working people on and off the islands. Currently, I am doing research for my next book, "War Workers," which tells the global story of non-citizen civilians working for the U.S. military from the Civil War to Iraq. I have published on a variety of topics, including labor history, Pacific history, environmental history, and global Hiphop. My teaching ranges from modern U.S. history in global perspective to the history of capitalism and environmental history.
Book Talk: Coconut Colonialism by Professor Holger
