In the hands of this man, ideas become living things. An historian of religion who holds joint appointments in the department of anthropology and the Harvard Divinity School, the inaugural Rudenstine professor of the study of Latin America suggests that we live in a world of competing cities. Deeply immersed in the study of Mesoamerican cultures (he is editor in chief of the Oxford Encyclopedia of Mesoamerican Cultures and author, most recently, of City of Sacrifice: The Aztec Empire and the Role of Violence in Civilization), Carrasco says that "the nature of urban hierarchies is, in part, to saturate social and geographical space, to extend their influence beyond their walls, and to draw the productions, ideas, and technology of the hinterlands into themselves." Modern cities exist in an ecumenopolis, a connected, hierarchical network. "What happens in New York affects Tokyo...and Kabul, and vice versa," he explains. Carrasco embodies interdisciplinary study--though he might call it mestizo (mixed) study, using the Spanish term for the hybrid cultures that arose after the Spaniards invaded Mexico and "biological, symbolic, and social exchanges" occurred. He brings a penchant for reaching across borders--intellectual, disciplinary, and cultural--with him to Harvard. The Mesoamerican Archive, containing more than 10,000 images and 3,000 texts, is the physical manifestation of his broad-ranging brand of academic inquiry. The accompanying research project, a "community of conversation" among archaeologists, ethnographers, anthropologists, historians, historians of religions, and archaeoastronomers, has, he says, "created a "collective understanding much larger than any one person could encapsulate."
David Carrasco
You might also like
Harvard Students form Pro-Palestine Encampment
Protesters set up camp in Harvard Yard
Harvard Medalists
Three people honored for extraordinary service to the University
Talking About Tipping Points
Developing response capability for a climate emergency
Most popular
More to explore
What is the Best Breakfast and Lunch in Harvard Square?
The cafés and restaurants of Harvard Square sure to impress for breakfast and lunch.
How Homelessness is a Public Health Crisis
Homelessness has surged in the United States, with devastating effects on the public health system.
Portfolio Diet May Reduce Long-Term Risk of Heart Disease and Stroke, Harvard Researchers Find
A little-known diet improves cardiovascular health through several distinct mechanisms.