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What motivated you to pursue research in this specific field, and how has your focus evolved over time?
In many ways, my interest in military history is rooted in my home region, growing up in Alsace you're constantly surrounded by vestiges of the two world wars. Eventually, I decided to combine my interest for military history with my love of the United States and focused on U.S. military history.
What is your approach to this research?
I like starting with an interesting problem, a story that I want to investigate and understand better. I then dive into the sources and follow them until I find an angle that’s worth tackling, something that will change the way the story is told.
Have there been any significant challenges or breakthroughs in your recent research, and how have you addressed or leveraged them?
The main difficulty with recent history is that while many historical actors are still alive and I get to interview them, most official documents, especially military ones, are still classified. I can’t do research in the national archives, so I have to get pretty creative in order to find sources.
What is the potential impact of your research on your field and on broader societal issues?
In recent years, the military is the only institution that has consistently had the confidence of the American people, yet less than 1% of the population serves in the armed forces. Studying how those dynamics were shaped over time is essential to our understanding of U.S. society today.
Each week The Office of the Vice President for Research will feature one faculty member and their scholarly work in Research Weekly. If you would like to nominate yourself or a colleague, please fill out the online form.
*Please note that not all nominations will be accepted as there are limited publications each semester.
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