Introduction: The Object of American Studies PART ONE: HISTORIES 1 • History and Historiography 2 • Four American Studies Mixtapes 3 • An Institutional History of American Studies (Or, What’s the Matter with Mixtapes?) PART TWO METHODS 4 • Methods and Methodology 5 • Texts: An Interpretive Toolkit 6 • Archives: A Curatorial Toolkit 7 • Genres and Formations: An Analytical Toolkit 8 • Power: A Th eoretical Toolkit PART THREE FROM JOTTING IT DOWN TO WRITING IT UP 9 • A Few Thoughts on Ideas and Arguments 10 • Dispenser: A Case Study Conclusion Acknowledgments Notes Index

"This book fills a long-felt need for a single work that can be used as a touchstone and launching pad for students of American studies at all levels. Deloria and Olson do a superb job of conveying the pleasure and the stakes of working in this field as well as the craft skills required to do it well."—Carlo Rotella, Boston College "A very smart and playful hybrid of a book that captures the challenges and rewards of work in American Studies."—Ann Fabian, Rutgers University "This book crackles with insight, wit, conceptual range, and analytical precision. The historical and methodological knowledge packed into this volume will benefit a vast array of students, scholars, and instructors. Students will learn what American studies is and how to model and perform its methods in their own research."—Ramzi Fawaz, University of Wisconsin-Madison