Michael has published three books. His most recent work examines cinema and how it informs our understanding of terrorism. Other books have examined the relationship between nostalgia and colonial history, victimization and postcolonial theory, and immigration and postcolonial representation. He is currently at work on a book with a French sociologist examining French and American conceptions of terrorism. Michael is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Humanities fellowship for his work on cultural identity, memory, and history in France and serves on the editorial board of several journals and university presses.