Biography

Frank Tobias (Toby) Higbie is a professor in the UCLA History Department and the faculty chair of the Labor and Workplace Studies program. He teaches undergraduate courses on labor and social movement history, immigration history, public history, and related topics. Higbie’s research explores the culture of industrial life in North America, the role of education in social movements, and the intersection of migration, class, and community. His forthcoming book, “Workers, Intellectuals, and the Politics of Knowledge in Modern America,” explores the social world of self-educated working people, and relationships between university-trained scholars and working-class intellectuals. His first book, “Indispensable Outcasts: Hobo Workers and Community in the American Midwest,” chronicled the lives of migrant workers (known as “hoboes”), the ties between midwestern communities and seasonal workers, and the culture of radical unionism at the turn of the 20th century. Before coming to UCLA in 2007, Higbie worked as a labor educator, a public historian, and (briefly) as a union organizer. He holds a Ph.D. in History from the University of Illinois.

Courses Taught

LBR STDS 375, LBR STDS 101 Introduction to Social Movements and Labor in Los Angeles

Expertise