He received his Ph.D. in History from the University of Maryland, and his B.A. in History and Latin American, Caribbean, and Iberian Studies from the University of Wisconsin. His dissertation, Towards a Transandean Mapuche Politics: Ritual and Power in Chile and Argentina, 1790-1835, examines how leaders of unconquered indigenous groups in the Southern Cone used ritual negotiations, letter writing, and alliance making to defend their sovereignty during the transition from colony to nation.