Elizabeth M. Brumfiel
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Elizabeth M. Brumfiel (born Elizabeth Stern; March 10, 1945 – January 1, 2012) was an American
archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...
who taught at
Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...
and
Albion College Albion College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Albion, Michigan. The college was founded in 1835 and its undergraduate population was approximately 1,500 students as of Fall 2021 ...
. She had been a president of the
American Anthropological Association The American Anthropological Association (AAA) is an American organization of scholars and practitioners in the field of anthropology. With 10,000 members, the association, based in Arlington, Virginia, includes archaeologists, cultural anthropo ...
.


Early life and education

Brumfiel was born in Chicago, Illinois and attended
Evanston Township High School Evanston Township High School (ETHS) (District 202) is a public high school in Evanston, Illinois. The campus is located in a northern suburb of Chicago along the Lake Michigan shore. ETHS was established in 1883 and serves the city of Evanston a ...
. She participated as a Peace Corps volunteer in La Paz, Bolivia in 1966–1967. She got her B.A. and Ph.D. degrees in
anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, society, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including archaic humans. Social anthropology studies patterns of behav ...
from the
University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...
in 1965 and 1976 respectively and in 1969 got her M.A. in the same field from the
University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...
.Elizabeth Brumfiel Curriculum Vitae
. MATRIX. Indiana University Bloomington, 2004.


Career

Brumfiel was a Peace Corps volunteer from 1966 to 1967 and until 1968 served as research assistant at the Center for Population Planning,
University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...
. From 1970 to 1977, she served as lecturer at the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at
Eastern Michigan University Eastern Michigan University (EMU, EMich, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern) is a public university, public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1849 as the Michigan State Normal School, it was the fourth normal ...
and between 1971 and 1972, was a teaching fellow at the Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan. She then relocated to
Albion, Michigan Albion is a city in Calhoun County in the south central region of the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 7,700 at the 2020 census. Albion is part of the Battle Creek Metropolitan Statistical Area. The earliest ...
, where she became an assistant professor at the Department of Anthropology and Sociology of
Albion College Albion College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Albion, Michigan. The college was founded in 1835 and its undergraduate population was approximately 1,500 students as of Fall 2021 ...
and after serving as a chair of the department was promoted to assistant professor, serving as such from 1985 to 1989. Brumfiel was promoted to professor in 1989 at the same department of the same institution, and in 1996 became John S. Ludington, Endowed Professor.


Research

Brumfiel's publications focused on gender,
political economy Political or comparative economy is a branch of political science and economics studying economic systems (e.g. Marketplace, markets and national economies) and their governance by political systems (e.g. law, institutions, and government). Wi ...
, and the relationship between these areas of scholarship. She also worked to show how
archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...
, as an academic discipline, is connected to other fields of
anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, society, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including archaic humans. Social anthropology studies patterns of behav ...
and to other disciplines such as
gender studies Gender studies is an interdisciplinary academic field devoted to analysing gender identity and gendered representation. Gender studies originated in the field of women's studies, concerning women, feminism, gender, and politics. The field n ...
and
political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...
. Brumfiel conducted an archaeological project at the site of
Xaltocan Xaltocan was a pre-Columbian city-state and island in the Valley of Mexico, located in the center of Lake Xaltocan, part of an interconnected shallow lake system which included Lake Texcoco; this place is now inside the village of San Miguel Jalt ...
in Mexico starting in 1987. Before that, she participated with Richard Blanton at
Monte Albán Monte Albán is a large pre-Columbian archaeological site in the Santa Cruz Xoxocotlán Municipality in the southern Mexico, Mexican state of Oaxaca (17.043° N, 96.767°W). The site is located on a low mountainous range rising above the plain i ...
in Mexico and directed research at the Mexican sites of Xico and Huexotla. Brumfiel was one of the first scholars to examine the role of women in Aztec culture through their interactions. Brumfiel studied how these interactions evolved over time through food preparation methods as well as textile manufacturing. “Mexican archeologists respected her very strongly,” said Gabriela Vargas-Cetina, an anthropology professor at the
Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán The Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán (''Autonomous University of Yucatan''), or UADY, is an autonomous public university in the state of Yucatán, Mexico, with its central campuses located in the state capital of Mérida. It is the largest te ...
, in Mérida, Mexico. Brumfiel also served on the editorial boards of ''
Latin American Antiquity ''Latin American Antiquity'' is a professional journal published by the Society for American Archaeology, the largest organization of professional archaeologists of the Americas in the world. Published since 1990 as a sister journal to ''America ...
'' and ''Ancient Mesoamerica'' and was an advisory editor of the ''
Current Anthropology ''Current Anthropology'' is a peer-reviewed anthropology academic journal published by the University of Chicago Press for the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research. Founded in 1959 by the anthropologist Sol Tax1907-1995. ''Curren ...
''. She helped found the World Council of Anthropological Associations and held strong feminist and liberal views. From 2000 to 2002, she was a distinguished lecturer at
Sigma Xi Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society () is an international non-profit honor society for scientists and engineers. Sigma Xi was founded at Cornell University by a faculty member and graduate students in 1886 and is one of the oldest ...
and then taught at
Albion College Albion College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Albion, Michigan. The college was founded in 1835 and its undergraduate population was approximately 1,500 students as of Fall 2021 ...
in Michigan for 25 years before joining
Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...
in 2003. She was president of the
American Anthropological Association The American Anthropological Association (AAA) is an American organization of scholars and practitioners in the field of anthropology. With 10,000 members, the association, based in Arlington, Virginia, includes archaeologists, cultural anthropo ...
from 2003 to 2005. In 2006, conservative author
David Horowitz David Joel Horowitz (January 10, 1939 – April 29, 2025) was an American conservative writer and activist. He was a founder and president of the David Horowitz Freedom Center (DHFC); editor of the Center's website '' FrontPage Magazine''; and ...
listed her among the most dangerous professors in his book "The Professors: The 101 Most Dangerous Academics in America" because of her strong voice on
social justice Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has of ...
and
human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...
. In 2007, she was honored with the Eagle Warrior Prize and from 2008 to 2009 she served as lead curator of "The Aztec World" at the
Field Museum of Natural History The Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH), also known as The Field Museum, is a natural history museum in Chicago, Illinois, and is one of the largest such museums in the world. The museum is popular for the size and quality of its educationa ...
in Chicago, Illinois.


Personal life and death

Prior to her death from
cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...
in
Skokie, Illinois Skokie (; formerly Niles Center) is a Village (United States), village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 67,824. Skokie lies approximately north of Chicago's dow ...
hospice in 2012, Brumfiel was married to her husband, Vincent, and had a son with him, Geoffrey.


Significant works


Edited volumes

*2003 ''Factional Competition and Political Development in the New World'' (John W. Fox, co-editor) Cambridge University Press. *2005 ''La Producción Local y el Poder en el Xaltocan Posclásico – Production and Power at Postclassic Xaltocan'' Instituto Nacional De Antropologia e Historía *2008 ''Specialization, Exchange and Complex Societies'' (Timothy K. Earle, co-editor) Cambridge University Press. *2008 ''The Aztec World'' (Gary M. Feinman, co-editor) Abrams. *2010 ''Gender, Households, and Society: Unraveling the Threads of the Past and the Present'' (Cynthia Robin, co-editor) Wiley-Blackwell. *Alien bodies, everyday people, and internal spaces: Embodiment, figurines and social discourse in Postclassic Mexico (with Lisa Overholtzer). In C. Halperin, K. Faust, and R. Taube, eds. in press *Mesoamerica. In The Oxford Handbook of Archaeology, C. Gosden and B. Cunliffe, eds. Oxford: Oxford University Press. in press.


Journal entries

*"Gender, Cloth, Continuity and Change: Fabricating Unity in Anthropology". American Anthropologist 108:861–877. in press . *"Methods in Feminist and Gender Archaeology: A Feeling for Difference—and Likeness". In The Handbook of Gender in Archaeology, S.M. Nelson, ed., pp. 31–58. Walnut Creek, CA: Altamira. 2006 *Opting In and Opting Out: Tula, Cholula, and Xaltocan. In Settlement and Subsistence in Early Civilizations: Essays reflecting the contributions of Jeffrey R. Parsons, R.E. Blanton and M.H. Parsons, eds, pp. 63–88. Los Angeles: Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, University of California, Los Angeles.20. 2005. *"Materiality, Feasts, and Figured Worlds in Aztec Mexico". In Rethinking Materiality, E. DeMarrais, C. Gosden, and C. Renfrew, eds., pp. 225–237. Cambridge: McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research. 2005.


References


External links

*"In Memoriam: Elizabeth Brumfiel 1945–2012." Anthropology Report. N.p., 5 January 2012. 6 Mar 2012. *"In Memoriam: Elizabeth Brumfiel." Living Anthropologically. Jason Antrosio, 2 January 2012. 6 Mar 2012. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Brumfiel, Elizabeth 1945 births 2012 deaths American anthropologists American women anthropologists American women archaeologists 20th-century American archaeologists 21st-century American archaeologists 21st-century American writers 21st-century American women writers University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts alumni Albion College faculty 20th-century American women writers 20th-century American writers American expatriates in Mexico Deaths from cancer in Illinois American women academics Northwestern University faculty Scholars of the Aztecs