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New publications are worth recognizing, but four publications in a year for an academic unit calls for a special celebration. 

Three faculty in the South Dakota State University School of American and Global Studies, Molly Krueger Enz, Luz Angélica Kirschner and Graham Wrightson, have published books in the last year, making it a record for the school. 

Enz is a distinguished professor of French and global studies and has been with ������Ƶ since 2007. She received her Ph.D. (’05) and M.A. (’00) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 

Her work, was published in October 2024 by Ohio University Press. The book is the culmination of her collaborative research on Senegalese cinema over the past decade. 

Enz and her co-author rely on their interviews with Senegalese filmmakers and ethnographic observations to highlight the filmmakers’ innovative cinematic practices and conceptualizations of contemporary cinema in Dakar. 

“Each chapter focuses on a particular urban issue and analyzes how documentary filmmakers living and working in Dakar depict and reimagine it from diverse perspectives and contexts,” Enz said. “We examine the ways in which these films reveal how people live in the city, relate to one another, build their lives, advocate for change, find joy and forge community.” 

“Dakar is a bustling, dynamic, vibrant capital whose beautiful people, art and culture have given me so much both professionally and personally,” Enz continued. “I hope that readers will gain insight into the complexity of quotidian and creative existence within urban Senegal and cinema’s potential to foster social change.” 

Kirschner is an associate professor and has been with ������Ƶ since 2016. She received her Ph.D. in department of comparative literature from Pennsylvania State University. She completed an M.A. in comparative literature from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an M.A. in American and literary studies from Bielefeld University, Germany. 

Her book, unpacks the legacy of modern ideas of race. Her work “challenges ideas of a post-racial globalized world to question the tendency to devalue ethnic literary writing in general, and ethnic women’s productions in particular, by questioning reductive literary criticism of ethnic writing that perpetuates bias against ethnic writing and its authors.” 

The inspiration behind the topic started when Kirschner was a graduate student at Penn State. She found that literary criticism on classic male authors like Shakespeare and Faulkner, were an enriching experience. In contrast, criticism on female authors like Bachmann and Woolf, felt limited when literary critics chose personal or autobiographical aspects of their works over broader historical and socioeconomic contexts, “as if these women’s lives and writings existed in isolation,” according to Kirschner. 

“The difference was even more pronounced in literary criticism on contemporary ethnic or minority female writers, where the experience often felt narrow and predictable,” Kirschner explained. “Such criticism was typically brief, less theoretically robust and overwhelmingly focused on personal struggles — highlighting immigrant experiences and portraying the writers primarily as victims of circumstance.” 

Readers of the book will learn more about the lasting influence of the hierarchical structures established in the conquest of the Americas and how these continue to shape many systems, experiences and perceptions of individuals today.

Wrightson is an associate professor of history and has been with ������Ƶ since 2013. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Calgary in 2013. He received two M.A. degrees, one from the University of Cambridge in 2004 and one from the University of Calgary in 2006. 

Two of Wrightson’s works were published recently. is a book published by Pen and Sword Military. Wrightson discusses the Third Roman-Macedonian War and the shortcomings of Perseus, the last king of Macedon. Analyzing the whole war, he focuses on Perseus’ military decisions and his mishandling of the Macedon army. The book is a “fascinating and thoroughly researched study of these dramatic events that adds fresh insight to the question of the legion's supposed supremacy over the phalanx.” 

was published in 2024 with co-editor Jared Kreiner. The volume discusses a variety of topics in ancient warfare and “takes readers through all manner of current research topics on ancient warfare, from traditional battle narratives or strategic analyses of campaigns, through the logistical considerations of armies in the field, to the ideology of women in war and mythology.” 

One more book, a collection of essays on ancient Macedonia in honor of Macedonian studies scholar Ed Anson, is in the process of being released. 

Wrightson has been writing about Greek warfare for 20 years, an interest he has had since middle school. 

“I hope people gain an appreciation for why ancient history is so interesting and still relevant to today’s world and how in the history of warfare, despite innovations in technology, very little changes,” Wrightson said. 

This has been a banner research year for the School of American and Global Studies. 

“Publishing an academic book with a prestigious press is a significant research achievement,” Director of the School of American and Global Studies Christi Garst-Santos said. “I love that this collection of books truly highlights the breadth and depth of American and global studies disciplines.” 

“The books by Drs. Enz, Kirschner and Wrightson highlight critical intersections of literature, cinema and history, offering critical insights into how narratives shape our understanding of culture, society and identity. Their contributions not only enrich their respective fields but also inspire a broader appreciation for the power of humanities research in addressing contemporary and historical challenges.”