Joseph Key

Joseph Key is an Associate Professor of History at Arkansas State University in the College of Liberal Arts and Communication. He holds a Ph.D. in History from the University of Arkansas, an M.A. in History from West Texas A&M University, and a B.A. in History from Lyon College.

• Teaching Specialties: American Indian History, American Frontier

His research focuses on Native American history, colonial conflicts, and ecological interactions in Territorial Arkansas. Key's work spans historical narratives of the Quapaw Tribe, the Louisiana Purchase, and religious encounters in the Lower Mississippi Valley.

His publications highlight interdisciplinary trends in Native American studies, colonial history, and environmental history, with a strong emphasis on the 19th-century American Southwest and Indigenous perspectives.

• Scientific Awards:
  • Board of Trustees Faculty Achievement Award in Teaching (2007-2008)
  • Phi Alpha Theta / Westerners International Best Dissertation Award (2002)

He contributes to academic discourse through the Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture and peer-reviewed journals like Arkansas Historical Quarterly.