Sergio Palencia

Sergio Palencia is a Guatemalan anthropologist and sociologist affiliated with the College of William & Mary. His work bridges indigenous studies, political economy, and Cold War history in Mesoamerica. He has previously taught at the City University of New York, Universidad Rafael Landivar, and Universidad Del Valle, Guatemala. His research focuses on Maya communal politics, plantation economies, and neoliberal commodification of land and electricity.

• Education
  • PhD in Anthropology, The Graduate Center, CUNY (2023)
  • MA in Anthropology, The Graduate Center, CUNY (2020)
  • Certificate in Critical Theory, The Graduate Center, CUNY (2020)
  • MA in Sociology, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (2013)
  • BA in Sociology, Universidad Del Valle (2009)
  • BA in Social Science, Universidad Del Valle (2008)

His research spans three core areas: (1) long-term indigenous resistance to state and plantation formation in Mesoamerica; (2) Maya political dynamics during Guatemala's 1954–1996 civil war; and (3) contemporary issues like land commodification and diasporic shifts. He employs oral history, ethnography, and critical theory to analyze these themes.

Recent publications include studies on visual memory of the Maya uprising, Cold War-era political violence, and neoliberal impacts on indigenous communities. His book Racism, Capital, and the State in Guatemala uses critical theory to dissect power structures from the 1970s to 2000s. Ongoing projects involve comparative analyses of indigenous politics across Latin America and visual anthropology research on Maya highland photography.