Daniel Immerwahr

Daniel Immerwahr
Name	Daniel Immerwahr
Birth date	1970s?
Birth place	United States
Occupation	Historian, professor, author
Employer	Northwestern University
Notable works	How to Hide an Empire, Thinking Small

Daniel Immerwahr is an American historian and professor noted for his work on imperial history, technological development, and global power dynamics. He writes about the United States in transnational and comparative perspective, placing figures, institutions, and places often omitted from mainstream narratives into broader historical frames. His scholarship bridges academic publishing, public history, and journalism, engaging topics that connect Franklin D. Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and policymakers to colonial territories such as Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.

Early life and education

Immerwahr grew up in the United States and pursued undergraduate studies that combined interests in history and social inquiry at institutions associated with prominent intellectual traditions such as Princeton University and Columbia University (note: specific undergraduate institution may vary). He trained in modern history and international relations, receiving graduate degrees that situated him in debates about imperialism and political economy. His doctoral work engaged archives tied to figures like Herbert Hoover, Henry Cabot Lodge, John Foster Dulles, and institutions including the Library of Congress and the National Archives.

Academic career

Immerwahr has held faculty appointments at research universities, most notably at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where he teaches courses linking the histories of the United States with transoceanic networks and technological infrastructures. His teaching and mentoring intersect with scholars of World War II, Cold War, and decolonization studies, engaging interdisciplinary centers such as the King Institute of Stanford, the Institute for Advanced Study, and university programs in African Studies, Asian Studies, and Latin American Studies. He has been a visiting fellow at research institutions and worked with archives across the United Kingdom, Japan, Spain, and the Philippines, collaborating with librarians and curators at the British Library, the National Diet Library, and the Archivo General de Indias.

Immerwahr's academic profile includes contributions to edited volumes and journals that are central to the field, such as the American Historical Review, Journal of American History, and Diplomatic History. He has supervised doctoral dissertations on topics ranging from the Spanish–American War aftermath to the geopolitics of satellite communications and the circulation of engineers trained at institutions like Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Caltech.

Major works and themes

Immerwahr is best known for his books that reframe the history of American expansion and infrastructure. In How to Hide an Empire, he reframes the narrative of United States power by centering overseas territories and colonial possessions such as Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, and the Philippines. The book connects political debates around figures like Theodore Roosevelt, William McKinley, and Rutherford B. Hayes to legal frameworks such as the Insular Cases and institutions including the United States Congress and the Supreme Court.

In Thinking Small, Immerwahr explores the history of planning and design, linking the rise of the interstate highway system to corporate actors like General Motors, engineering practices associated with Harvard University planners, and civic projects initiated during administrations such as that of Franklin D. Roosevelt. He traces connections among designers, architects, and technocrats including Le Corbusier and Lewis Mumford while situating urban reforms in cities like New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago.

Across his oeuvre, key themes include the invisibility of imperial spaces in national narratives, the materiality of power as expressed through bases, infrastructure, and maps, and the role of experts and institutions—such as the Rand Corporation, the United States Department of Defense, and scientific bodies like the National Science Foundation—in shaping modernity. His work dialogues with scholars like E. P. Thompson, Edward Said, Ann Stoler, and Odd Arne Westad.

Awards and honors

Immerwahr's scholarship has been recognized with prizes and fellowships from organizations including the American Council of Learned Societies, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and university-level research awards at Northwestern University. His books have been finalists and recipients of honors from literary and academic bodies, appearing on award shortlists alongside works that examine imperialism, decolonization, and global history by authors such as Niall Ferguson and Pankaj Mishra.

Public engagement and media appearances

Immerwahr is an active public intellectual, contributing essays and reviews to outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, and The New Yorker, where he connects historical scholarship to contemporary debates about imperialism, migration, and public policy. He has been interviewed on radio programs like NPR and appeared on documentary projects and panels hosted by institutions such as the Brookings Institution, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the New America Foundation. He has delivered public lectures at venues including the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society.

Category:American historians Category:Historians of the United States Category:Northwestern University faculty