Louise Burkhart
Encyclopedia
Louise M. Burkhart is an American academic ethnohistorian and anthropologist, noted as a scholar of early colonial Mesoamerican literature
. In particular, her published research has a focus on aspects of the religious beliefs and practices of Nahuatl
-speakers in central Mexico
. Her work examines the historical documention from the time of the Spanish Conquest and the subsequent era of colonial Mexico, and studies the continuities and transformations of indigenous Nahua communities and culture. Burkhart has written extensively on colonial Nahuatl drama, folklore, poetry and catechistic
texts, translating a number of these documents from the original Nahuatl with commentaries and historical interpretations and notes. She has also published research on the aesthetics and iconography of pre-Columbian
and Indochristian art, Nahuatl linguistics, and the rise of the Virgin of Guadalupe cult within Mexican Roman Catholicism.
Burkhart is a professor in the Anthropology Department of the State University of New York at Albany (SUNY Albany), where she has lectured since 1990.
in anthropology at Franklin & Marshall College
, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
, graduating summa cum laude in 1980. Her postgraduate studies were undertaken at Yale
, where in 1982 she completed a M.Phil. in anthropology. Her course work included field research conducted in Mexico on Nahuatl language, literature, and communities.
After obtaining her Masters degree Burkhart enrolled in Yale's doctorate studies program in anthropology, while also working as instructor and teaching assistant for courses on Nahuatl literature and Native American
ethnography. Burkhart was awarded her Ph.D.
in 1986, where her dissertation was supervised by renowned Mayanist
scholar Michael D. Coe
. Her dissertation, "The Slippery Earth: Nahua-Christian Moral Dialogue in Sixteenth-Century Mexico", was revised and published as a book in 1989 by University of Arizona Press
.
In 1987 Burkhart received an American Philosophical Society
Fellowship grant to conduct archival research in Madrid
. Other fellowships and research grants obtained during the late 1980s include ones from Chicago's Newberry Library
, a National Endowment for the Humanities
grant for the John Carter Brown Library
, and a fellowship in pre-Columbian studies at Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection. During this time Burkhart also held adjunct and visiting lecturer positions at the University of Connecticut
(1986–87) and Purdue University
(1989–90).
In 1990 Burkhart joined the faculty at SUNY Albany as assistant professor. In conjunction with her ongoing academic research projects and publications, Burkhart has taught a variety of undergraduate and graduate courses at Albany. These include courses on Native American and Mesoamerican myths and folklore, ethnological theory, Mesoamerican texts and literature, anthropology and ethnology
of Native American religion and pre-Columbian art, and Nahuatl language instruction. In 1997 Burkhart reached the academic rank of associate professor, and became a full professor in 2003. Her professorial appointment is jointly held between the Anthropology Department and the Department of Latin American and Caribbean Studies.
Mesoamerican literature
The traditions of indigenous Mesoamerican literature extend back to the oldest-attested forms of early writing in the Mesoamerican region, which date from around the mid-1st millennium BCE. Many of the pre-Columbian cultures of Mesoamerica are known to have been literate societies, who produced a...
. In particular, her published research has a focus on aspects of the religious beliefs and practices of Nahuatl
Nahuatl
Nahuatl is thought to mean "a good, clear sound" This language name has several spellings, among them náhuatl , Naoatl, Nauatl, Nahuatl, Nawatl. In a back formation from the name of the language, the ethnic group of Nahuatl speakers are called Nahua...
-speakers in central Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Her work examines the historical documention from the time of the Spanish Conquest and the subsequent era of colonial Mexico, and studies the continuities and transformations of indigenous Nahua communities and culture. Burkhart has written extensively on colonial Nahuatl drama, folklore, poetry and catechistic
Catechism
A catechism , i.e. to indoctrinate) is a summary or exposition of doctrine, traditionally used in Christian religious teaching from New Testament times to the present...
texts, translating a number of these documents from the original Nahuatl with commentaries and historical interpretations and notes. She has also published research on the aesthetics and iconography of pre-Columbian
Pre-Columbian art
Pre-Columbian art is the visual arts of indigenous peoples of the Caribbean, North, Central, and South Americas until the late 15th and early 16th centuries, and the time period marked by Christopher Columbus' arrival in the Americas....
and Indochristian art, Nahuatl linguistics, and the rise of the Virgin of Guadalupe cult within Mexican Roman Catholicism.
Burkhart is a professor in the Anthropology Department of the State University of New York at Albany (SUNY Albany), where she has lectured since 1990.
Studies and academic career
Burkhart studied for a B.A.Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in anthropology at Franklin & Marshall College
Franklin & Marshall College
Franklin & Marshall College is a four-year private co-educational residential national liberal arts college in the Northwest Corridor neighborhood of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, United States....
, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster is a city in the south-central part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the county seat of Lancaster County and one of the older inland cities in the United States, . With a population of 59,322, it ranks eighth in population among Pennsylvania's cities...
, graduating summa cum laude in 1980. Her postgraduate studies were undertaken at Yale
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, where in 1982 she completed a M.Phil. in anthropology. Her course work included field research conducted in Mexico on Nahuatl language, literature, and communities.
After obtaining her Masters degree Burkhart enrolled in Yale's doctorate studies program in anthropology, while also working as instructor and teaching assistant for courses on Nahuatl literature and Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
ethnography. Burkhart was awarded her Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in 1986, where her dissertation was supervised by renowned Mayanist
Mayanist
A Mayanist is a scholar specialising in research and study of the Central American pre-Columbian Maya civilization. This discipline should not be confused with Mayanism, a collection of New Age beliefs about the ancient Maya....
scholar Michael D. Coe
Michael D. Coe
Michael D. Coe is an American archaeologist, anthropologist, epigrapher and author. Primarily known for his research in the field of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican studies , Coe has also made extensive investigations across a variety...
. Her dissertation, "The Slippery Earth: Nahua-Christian Moral Dialogue in Sixteenth-Century Mexico", was revised and published as a book in 1989 by University of Arizona Press
University of Arizona Press
The University of Arizona Press, a publishing house founded in 1959 as a department of the University of Arizona, is a nonprofit publisher of scholarly and regional books...
.
In 1987 Burkhart received an American Philosophical Society
American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society, founded in 1743, and located in Philadelphia, Pa., is an eminent scholarly organization of international reputation, that promotes useful knowledge in the sciences and humanities through excellence in scholarly research, professional meetings, publications,...
Fellowship grant to conduct archival research in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
. Other fellowships and research grants obtained during the late 1980s include ones from Chicago's Newberry Library
Newberry Library
The Newberry Library is a privately endowed, independent research library for the humanities and social sciences in Chicago, Illinois. Although it is private, non-circulating library, the Newberry Library is free and open to the public...
, a National Endowment for the Humanities
National Endowment for the Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities is an independent federal agency of the United States established by the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. The NEH is located at...
grant for the John Carter Brown Library
John Carter Brown Library
The John Carter Brown Library is an independently funded research library of history and the humanities located on the campus of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island...
, and a fellowship in pre-Columbian studies at Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection. During this time Burkhart also held adjunct and visiting lecturer positions at the University of Connecticut
University of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
(1986–87) and Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
(1989–90).
In 1990 Burkhart joined the faculty at SUNY Albany as assistant professor. In conjunction with her ongoing academic research projects and publications, Burkhart has taught a variety of undergraduate and graduate courses at Albany. These include courses on Native American and Mesoamerican myths and folklore, ethnological theory, Mesoamerican texts and literature, anthropology and ethnology
Ethnology
Ethnology is the branch of anthropology that compares and analyzes the origins, distribution, technology, religion, language, and social structure of the ethnic, racial, and/or national divisions of humanity.-Scientific discipline:Compared to ethnography, the study of single groups through direct...
of Native American religion and pre-Columbian art, and Nahuatl language instruction. In 1997 Burkhart reached the academic rank of associate professor, and became a full professor in 2003. Her professorial appointment is jointly held between the Anthropology Department and the Department of Latin American and Caribbean Studies.
External links
- Faculty profile, Anthropology dept. at University at Albany, SUNY