Joseph Palacio (born 1943) is a

Garifuna The Garifuna people ( or ; pl. Garínagu in Garifuna) are a people of mixed free African and Amerindian ancestry that originated in the Caribbean island of Saint Vincent and traditionally speak Garifuna, an Arawakan language. The Garifuna ...

Belize Belize is a country on the north-eastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a maritime boundary with Honduras to the southeast. P ...

anthropologist An anthropologist is a scientist engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropologists study aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms, values ...

. He was the first Belizean Garifuna to complete a doctorate degree in anthropology and is a leading promoter of Garifuna language, history, and culture."Profile of Dr. Joseph Palacio Keynote Speaker, International Garifuna Conference," Searchlight Newspaper, 10 February 2012, https://searchlight.vc/searchlight/features/2012/02/10/profile-of-dr-joseph-palacio-keynote-speaker-international-garifuna-conference/ He also serves as Chairman of the Barranco Village Council, his birth village.

Biography

Joseph Palacio was born in Barranco, the southernmost village in Belize. He attended secondary school in

Belize City Belize City is the largest city in Belize. It was once the capital city, capital of the former British Honduras. According to the 2022 census, Belize City has a population of 63,999 people. It is at the mouth of the Haulover Creek, which is a ...

before continuing his education at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

, the University of Manitoba at Winnipeg and earning a PhD in Anthropology from the

University of California-Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after the Anglo-Irish philosopher George Berkeley ...

in 1982. He is married to Myrtle Palacio, a politician and activist - their wedding was in 1968. He served as Belize’s Archaeological Commissioner from 1971 to 1976 where he was instrumental for developing legislation relating to the excavation and preservation of Belizean archeological sites. Palacio then joined the faculty at the

University of the West Indies The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 18 English-speaking countries and territories in t ...

where he taught indigenous history and community development alongside founding the first formal Garifuna language training program. He was a founding member of the Caribbean Organization of Indigenous People’s (COIP). Palacio has written many monographs and academic articles, including a collection of essays titled “The Garifuna: A Nation Across Borders.”

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Palacio, Joseph 1943 births Living people 21st-century anthropologists * University of California, Berkeley alumni