Luke Manget

Luke Manget is an Assistant Professor in the Department of History at Western Carolina University (WCU), part of the College of Arts and Sciences. His academic journey includes a BS from Georgia Institute of Technology (200?), MA in History from WCU (2012), and PhD from the University of Georgia (2017). Prior to his current role, he taught at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, Dalton State College, and the N.C. School of Science and Mathematics. His research focuses on environmental and Appalachian history, particularly exploring how class, gender, and race shape human-environmental interactions. He is best known for his award-winning book Ginseng Diggers, which examines the botanical drug trade in Appalachia and received the 2023 Weatherford Award and James A. Duke Award.

Teaching interests include American history, environmental history, and social studies pedagogy. His research extends to topics like postbellum economic adaptation, transnational commodity flows, and commons land use traditions. Over 15 scholarly articles reflect his interdisciplinary approach, spanning topics from Civil War environmental impacts to modern Appalachian trail cultural dynamics. Beyond academia, he maintains an active outdoor lifestyle with his family in Western North Carolina.