Victoria'' ''Reifler'' ''Bricker (born 1940) is an American

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 ...

, ethnographer and linguist, widely known for her ground-breaking studies of contemporary and historical Maya culture.

Early life and education

Born in

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

, Bricker studied at

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

for her undergraduate education, and graduated in 1962 with a bachelor's degree in philosophy and humanities. She attended

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

for her graduate education, earning a master's degree 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 ...

in 1963 and a Ph.D. in 1968.

Career and research

Bricker has spent her career at

Tulane University The Tulane University of Louisiana (commonly referred to as Tulane University) is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by a cohort of medical doctors, it b ...

; she was a visiting lecturer from 1969 to 1970, an assistant professor from 1970 to 1973, an associate professor from 1973 to 1978, and was appointed a full professor in 1978. She is now a professor emerita there. Bricker's research has focused on various aspects of Maya culture in

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

Chiapas Chiapas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas, is one of the states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. It comprises Municipalities of Chiapas, 124 municipalities and its capital and large ...

, and

Yucatán Yucatán, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Yucatán, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, constitute the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It comprises 106 separate municipalities, and its capital city is Mérida. ...

. In Chiapas, she studied Maya ritual humor,

oral history Oral history is the collection and study of historical information from people, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews. These interviews are conducted with people who pa ...

, and revitalization, the latter being a subject of her research in Guatemala and Yucatán. In Yucatán, she has also worked on a Maya-English dictionary, the Maya language, and

ethnobotany Ethnobotany is an interdisciplinary field at the interface of natural and social sciences that studies the relationships between humans and plants. It focuses on traditional knowledge of how plants are used, managed, and perceived in human socie ...

. Bricker has also studied Precolumbian

Maya astronomy Maya astronomy is the study of the Moon, planets, Milky Way, Sun, and astronomical phenomena by the Precolumbian Maya civilization of Mesoamerica. The Classic Maya in particular developed some of the most accurate pre-telescope astronomy in th ...

, calendars,

astrology Astrology is a range of Divination, divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that propose that information about human affairs and terrestrial events may be discerned by studying the apparent positions ...

divination Divination () is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic ritual or practice. Using various methods throughout history, diviners ascertain their interpretations of how a should proceed by reading signs, ...

, and script. Her work included studies of the Dresden Codex and Madrid Codex. Her collection of recordings and transcriptions of the Chol, Tzotzil, and Yucatec Maya languages are available at the Archive of the Indigenous Languages of Latin America, and audio recordings and manuscripts are available at the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

archives. She speaks Spanish, and two

Mayan languages The Mayan languages In linguistics, it is conventional to use ''Mayan'' when referring to the languages, or an aspect of a language. In other academic fields, ''Maya'' is the preferred usage, serving as both a singular and plural noun, and a ...

: Yucatec and Tzotzil.

Honors and awards

A member of several scientific societies, Bricker has also served in leadership roles with academic publications and societies. She was elected to the National Academy of Science in 1991 and maintains membership in the

. * Editor, '' American Ethnologist'' (1973–1976) * Associate editor, '' Journal of Mayan Linguistics'' (1978 – ) * Executive board,

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 ...

(1980 – ) * Editorial board, Middle American Research Institute (1981 – ) * Chair, Dept. of Anthropology at Tulane University (1988–1991) * Member, National Academy of Sciences (1991) * Member,

(2002) * Member,

American Society for Ethnohistory American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

* Member, Linguistic Society of America * Member, Société des Americanistes

Bibliography

* 1973 – ''Ritual Humor in Highland Chiapas''. University of Texas Press. . * 1981 ''– The Indian Christ, the Indian King: The Historical Substrate of Maya Myth and Ritual''. University of Texas Press. . * 2002 – with Helga-Maria Miram. ''An Encounter of Two Worlds: The Book of Chilam Balam of Kaua.'' Middle American Research Institute. . * 2011 – with Harvey M. Bricker; winner of the John Frederick Lewis Award. ''Astronomy in the Maya Codices''. American Philosophical Society Press. * 2019 – ''A Historical Grammar of the Maya Language of Yucatán, 1577–2000''. University of Utah Press. .

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bricker, Victoria 1940 births Living people American women anthropologists American women scientists American ethnologists Women ethnologists Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni American Mesoamericanists Women Mesoamericanists Members of the American Philosophical Society Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences Hong Kong emigrants to the United States Stanford University alumni Tulane University faculty American women academics 21st-century American women