Luke Manget

Biography

Born and raised in the Atlanta area, Dr. Manget grew up playing music, soccer, and football before getting his first job as a reporter for the <i>Cherokee Scout</i> newspaper in 2004. The next year he got his first job teaching history at Murphy High School, where he also coached soccer for 5 years before returning to school to pursue a graduate degree. He earned his MA in history at WCU in 2012 and his PhD at the University of Georgia in 2017. He received teaching appointments at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, Dalton State College, and the N.C. School of Science and Mathematics before returning to his alma mater. He and his wife, Natalie, have three boys, and they enjoy playing music, hiking, backpacking, paddling, and exploring the outdoors of western North Carolina and beyond.

Education

• Ph D, University of Georgia
• MA, Western Carolina University
• BS, Georgia Institute Technology-Main Campus

Teaching Interests

Dr. Manget teaches courses in American history, environmental history, Appalachian history, and social studies teaching methods.

Research Interests

Dr. Manget's research interests revolve around the diverse ways in which human communities, especially those in southern Appalachia, have interacted with nature and how those interactions have been mediated by class, gender, and race. His first book, <i>Ginseng Diggers: A History of Root Digging and Herb Gathering in Appalachia,</i> won the 2023 Weatherford Award for nonfiction, given annually by the Appalachian Studies Association, and the 2023 James A. Duke Award for Excellence in Botanical Literature, given annually by the American Botanical Council.