Richard White, a professor of history at Stanford University, is widely regarded as one of Americas leading scholars in three related fields: the American West, Native American history and environmental history. He is the author of five books, including The Middle Ground: Indians, Empires and Republic in the Great Lakes Region, 1650-1815, which was named a finalist for the 1992 Pulitzer Prize. Among other honors, he is the recipient of a MacArthur Foundation fellowship. Professor White was a visitor at the United States Studies Centre in September 2009.