Peter Messer is a historian of Early American politics and culture. His interest lies in the theory and practice of politics in eighteenth-century America, particularly the intersection of natural historical thought and nation building in the era of the Early American Republic.

Dr. Brian Shoup is Professor of Political Science and Public Administration where he teaches comparative politics and public policy. His primary research interests are identity politics and conflict and state and nation-building. He is the author of Conflict and Cooperation in Multi-Ethnic States: Institutional Incentives, Myths, and Counterbalancing and his research has appeared in…