My work focuses on questions of identity and nation in the American West among Basque immigrants. I am especially interested in the ways that narratives of Basques as the mystery people of Europe have shaped Basque-American identities, and how those same narratives have influenced Basques’ employment opportunities, racial categorization, and national pride.

This research illuminates central themes of U.S. history, such as immigration and Whiteness. It also is a practical application of the narrative constitution of identity.

The Indians of Europe in America: Basque-Americans and Narratives of Identity in the American West, 1870-2019