The George W. Donaghey Distinguished Professor of History at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock has published his latest book, an edited collection of essays, titled Race and Ethnicity in Arkansas: New Perspectives.

In the book, Dr. John A. Kirk, who is also chair of the UALR history department, weaves the work of several experts to shed light on the diverse history of race and ethnic relations in the state.

The essays cover a wide range of topics from the frontier experience of slavery to African American migration patterns and religious figures. It also examines aspects of Latino/a and Asian American experiences in the state.

The book is intended as a primer on racial and ethnic history in Arkansas, and as a roadmap to better understand American race relations, Kirk said.

Published by the University of Arkansas Press, the work contains chapters by UALR history faculty Drs. Carl Moneyhon and Barclay Key, as well as a chapter by former UALR history major Kelly Houston Jones, who recently successfully defended her Ph.D. thesis on slavery in Arkansas.

Noted historian and author Steven F. Lawson said in his review of the book that the essays “flesh out the rich and diverse roles African Americans and Latinos have played in shaping Arkansas history from slavery to the present” and that Kirk’s deftly edited collection reminds readers “there is much more to the history of race in Arkansas than the often-studied Little Rock school integration crisis of 1957.”

Kirk has contributed many articles and television interviews related to discussions on race, including an appearance as a panelist on “Minority Matters,” a PBS broadcast on the Arkansas Education Television Network.

He holds an undergraduate degree in American Studies from the University of Nottingham and a Ph.D. in American History from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne.

Kirk taught at the University of Wales, Lampeter, and Royal Holloway, University of London, before coming to UALR.

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