Holger Droessler

Holger Droessler is an Associate Professor of History at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), specializing in the intersection of U.S. imperialism, capitalism, and the Pacific Ocean. His research and teaching emphasize labor history, environmental history, and global Hip Hop culture, with a focus on decolonial perspectives.

• Education: M.A. in American Cultural History (LMU Munich, 2008), Ph.D. in History of American Civilization (Harvard University, 2015)
• Affiliations: American Historical Association, Labor and Working-Class History Association, Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations

  Research Interests

  Droessler investigates the dynamics of colonial labor systems in Samoa, the global history of U.S. military expansion, and the environmental impacts of plantation economies. His work bridges imperialism, capitalism, and Oceanic globality, highlighting indigenous resistance and ecological transformations.

  Notable Publications include his award-winning book Coconut Colonialism (2022), which redefines Samoa’s role in globalization through worker agency, and articles on copra trade resistance, Cold War science, and Hip Hop translation politics.

  Honors & Awards

  • DEIJ Planning Grant (2022-2023)
  • Obama Dissertation Prize (2015)
  • Certificate of Teaching Excellence (2015)
  • Fulbright Scholarship (2006-2007)