Christina Halperin
Christina Halperin holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of California, Riverside. Her dissertation, “Materiality, Bodies, and Practice: The Political Economy of Late Classic Figurines from Motul de San José, Petén, Guatemala,” examines Late Classic (ca. A.D. 600-900) Maya state and household relations through the production, circulation, imagery and use of ceramic figurines. Her dissertation research, supported by Wenner-Gren, NSF and Fulbright fellowships among other awards, calls attention to the ritual participation of common peoples, women, and children in the production of both household and state. She has published extensively on topics such as Classic Maya Textile Production, Polychrome Pottery Production, Ancient Maya Water Ideology, Social Power and Sacred Space, and has recently co-edited a book on “Mesoamerican Figurines: Small-Scale Indices of Large-Scale Social Phenomena” (2009), which was awarded a CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title. In addition she has conducted excavations and cave surveys at numerous sites in Guatemala, Mexico, and Belize. As a Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois and Lecturer at UC Riverside, Halperin taught a wide range of courses including "Archaeological Theory,” “Ritual Economy,” "Introduction to World Prehistory" and “Gender and Archaeology.” At Princeton in 2011-12 she will teach a seminar on Pre-Columbian Maya Art, which will involve a student trip to Guatemala, and a Freshman Seminar on Ancient Pottery.