I study the dyanmics of culture on the frontiers of North America. To date, much of my work has focused on the Lower Mississippi Valley during the years surrounding the Louisiana Purchase. My particular interest has been the meaning of nationhood in the early American republic, exploring how the question of what would become of an American Louisiana propelled the way people considered what it meant to be American. My approach to this topic has been a multidisciplinary one, combining methods historians have used to study politics, culture, and race with principles of public administration and international relations.