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Dr. Peter Cole

Associate Professor

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Cole

Dr. Cole's research focuses on the intersetions of class, ethnicity, and race in U.S. History. Specifically, he examines the creation of a powerful labor union by a group of very diverse dock workers in Philadelphia in the early twentieth century. Generally, unions (and, for the most part, all institutions in American life) are highly segregated; however, this organization consisted of blacks and whites, native-born Americans and immigrants from Eastern Europe and the Caribbean, Protestants, Catholics, and Jews. Cole tries to explain how these American workers were able to accomplish what so few others could - that is, how to overcome the intense ethnic and racial divisions in American society, especially in American cities, in order to give ordinary citizens greater power over their lives and work.

Dr. Cole was born and raised in South Florida. He received his B.A. from Columbia University and his Ph.D. from Georgetown University. He has taught at Georgetown, Washington College, Western Maryland College, and most recently for two years at Boise State University. When not working, he enjoys running, rock climbing, biking, yoga, backpacking, vegetarian cooking, and traveling. He joined the Department of History in the fall of 2000.