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Stefan HanßView profile

Professor

• Early Modern History
• Material Culture Studies
• Global History
• +7 more

Professor Stefan Hanß is a leading scholar in Early Modern History at the University of Manchester, specializing in material culture, global history, and cultural encounters. He serves as Deputy Director and Scientific Lead of the John Rylands Research Institute (2023–2025). His work bridges humanities and sciences, employing advanced imaging and scientific analysis to study historical artifacts. Notable contributions include research on early modern featherwork, hair cultures, and the material Renaissance. Education: PhD from Freie Universität Berlin, with studies at the Warburg Institute (London) and Venice. Postdoctoral roles included positions at the University of Cambridge and Research Centre Gotha. Research focuses on material creativity, colonial encounters, and interdisciplinary methodologies. Key projects include analyzing alchemical artifacts with SEM microscopy and studying hair’s role in Reformation Germany. Awards include the Philip Leverhulme Prize and British Academy Engagement Award. Teaching spans early modern European history, material culture, and palaeography. Current courses include ‘Material Encounters in the Early Modern World’ and ‘The Stuff of History: Objects Across Borders’. Supervised numerous PhD students, many funded by AHRC and ESRC. Leadership roles include Treasurer of the German History Society and editorial positions at Cambridge Elements ‘Material Culture History’ and Huntington Library Quarterly .

Allison CaplanView profile

Assistant Professor

• Mesoamerican Art
• Indigenous Art Theory
• Material Culture
• +4 more

Allison Caplan is an Assistant Professor of History of Art at Yale University. Previously, she held positions as Assistant Professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and the inaugural Austen-Stokes Ancient Americas Postdoctoral Fellow at Johns Hopkins University. Her research focuses on Late Postclassic and early colonial Mesoamerican art, particularly Nahua art theory, materiality, and the intersection of visual expression with Nahuatl language. She has conducted extensive fieldwork in Mexico, including Nahuatl language studies through FLAS fellowships, and has contributed to museum exhibitions like Golden Kingdoms: Luxury Arts in the Ancient Americas . Education: B.A., Columbia University; Ph.D., Tulane University Her current book project, Flickering Creations: Concepts of Nahua Precious Art , explores Nahua theorizations of color, light, and assemblage in precious materials. Her scholarship bridges art history with linguistic and interdisciplinary collaboration, addressing topics like animal symbolism, colonial material practices, and Indigenous knowledge systems. She has received grants from institutions such as the American Council of Learned Societies and Dumbarton Oaks. Caplan teaches courses on ancient/colonial Mesoamerica, Indigenous art theory, and museum studies. She is on leave during the 2025–2026 academic year.

Sanja Savkic SebekView profile

Research Fellow

• Art History
• World Art Studies
• Visual Arts
• +3 more

Sanja Savkic Sebek is a Research Fellow at the Sainsbury Research Unit for the Arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas, University of East Anglia. She specializes in Mesoamerican art history with a focus on Maya visual culture and codicology. Education: PhD in Maya Art History (National Autonomous University of Mexico, 2012), MA in Dresden Codex Studies (2007), BA in Archaeology (University of Belgrade, 2001) Research Interests Formal analysis of Late Preclassic Maya art Mesoamerican codices and epigraphy Aesthetic values in indigenous visual culture Interdisciplinary approaches to art history Scientific Achievements Recipient of the Alfonso Caso Medal for outstanding contributions to Mesoamerican studies (2014)

Annabeth HeadrickView profile

Associate Professor

• Mesoamerican Art
• Andean Art
• Ancient American Art
• +3 more

Annabeth Headrick is an Associate Professor and Director of the School of Art and Art History at the University of Denver's College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. Her expertise lies in Mesoamerican, Andean, and Ancient American art, focusing on iconography and socio-political structures. She teaches courses on Maya art, Mesoamerican civilizations, and contemporary Native North American art, integrating art history, archaeology, and anthropology. Her research explores Teotihuacan's sociopolitical dynamics, Chichen Itza's cultural interactions, and ancestral rituals in Mesoamerica. She holds a Ph.D., MA, and BA from prestigious institutions, including the University of Texas and Colorado College. Education: Ph.D., Art History, University of Texas, Austin, 1996 MA, Art History, University of Texas, Austin, 1991 BA, History and Political Science, Colorado College, 1985 Research Interests: Mesoamerican and Andean Art Indigenous Art of the Americas Ritual Practices and Symbolism Cultural Hybridization Her publications emphasize Teotihuacan's influence, Chichen Itza's political dynamics, and the intersection of art, power, and ritual in ancient societies. As a leader in her field, she contributes to the College Art Association, Society for American Archaeology, and Association for Latin American Art.

Maya Stanfield-MazziView profile

Professor

• Art History
• Andean Art History
• Colonial Latin American Art
• +4 more

Maya Stanfield-Mazzi is a Professor in the School of Art and Art History at the University of Florida, specializing in Pre-Columbian and Latin American art, particularly the colonial Andes. Her research focuses on artistic agency, Indigenous knowledge, and cultural heritage. She holds a B.A. from Smith College and an M.A./Ph.D. from UCLA. Notable awards include the 2020 Colvin Prize for her contribution to Sir Banister Fletcher’s Global History of Architecture . Her academic work includes groundbreaking books such as Clothing the New World Church (2021) and Object and Apparition (2013), which explore liturgical textiles and colonial Andean religious imagery. She co-edited Collective Creativity and Artistic Agency in Colonial Latin America (2023), redefining colonial art historiography through decolonial lenses. Stanfield-Mazzi teaches courses like Indigenous Arts of the Colonial Americas and leads study abroad programs in Peru, collaborating with local conservation efforts. She has held fellowships including National Resource and Fulbright-Hays awards, and her research bridges material culture, colonial history, and Indigenous agency.

• Traditional Māori Dress
• Textile Archaeology
• Weaving Techniques
• +4 more

Dr. Patricia Wallace serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Canterbury's Aotahi School of Māori and Indigenous Studies within the Faculty of Arts, holding this appointment continuously since May 8, 2002. A late-comer to academia, she brings extensive practical experience in teaching and textile arts to her scholarly work. Her research focuses on Traditional Māori Dress and Textile Archaeology , specializing in the recovery of pre-1820 Māori weaving techniques and material culture. Through experimental archaeology and community collaboration, she has revitalized knowledge of kiekie harvesting, korowai construction, and kahu kurī (dogskin cloaks). Her work bridges academic research with cultural practitioners, particularly through initiatives like the FRST-funded project 'Nga Tipu Raranga Mo Tua Ake'. Wallace's publication trends reveal deep engagement with Māori material culture across three decades, examining featherwork, plant fibers, and historical garments. Her research combines museum studies, ethnobotany, and Indigenous knowledge systems to reconstruct cultural practices. Key themes include the intersection of materiality and identity, historical continuity in weaving traditions, and cross-Pacific cultural connections. Award Highlights: Te Tohu Mātauranga Māori Award for National Academic Excellence Winston Churchill Fellowship for pre-1840 Māori cloak research Ngata Centenary Doctoral Scholarship Macmillan Brown Post-doctoral Scholarship As an educator, Wallace pioneered the MAOR114/ARTH108 Summer School course 'Nga Mahi a Ringa' to engage Māori and Pacific Island students through material culture. She instigated the campus Pa Harakeke (flax garden) in 1998 and served as Honorary Editor of the Māori Weavers' national newsletter for 20 years. Her collaborative work with Te Roopu Raranga Whatu o Aotearoa and the Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies demonstrates sustained commitment to community-based knowledge production. Current research continues at Hikuraki where she is hosted as an Adjunct Fellow.

John KuhnView profile

Associate Professor

• 17th-century English literature
• Colonial America
• Early Modern Drama
• +6 more

John Kuhn is an Associate Professor at Binghamton University in the Department of English, General Literature and Rhetoric. He specializes in 17th-century English literature and history, teaching courses on Shakespeare, early modern drama, colonization of the Americas, and 17th-century poetry. Currently on sabbatical for the 2024-2025 academic year, he actively mentors graduate students in early modern studies and collaborates with interdisciplinary groups such as the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies and the Material and Visual Worlds working group. Education: PhD, Columbia University BA, University of Kansas (summa cum laude) His research explores the intersections of theatrical practices, comparative religion, and colonial history in early modern England. Recent projects examine Indigenous technologies like the birchbark canoe and their transatlantic impacts, alongside analyses of George Herbert’s poetry and its theological implications. Recent publications highlight his focus on intercultural exchange, theatrical production of paganism, and manuscript-based historical insights, reflecting his interdisciplinary approach to early modern studies. Scientific Affiliations: Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies Material and Visual Worlds interdepartmental working group Kuhn’s advising philosophy welcomes graduate students in any area of early modern studies, and his scholarly work bridges literature, history, and material culture analysis.

Santiago Muñoz-ArbeláezView profile

Assistant Professor

• Latin American history
• Atlantic history
• Early modern history
• +7 more

Santiago Muñoz-Arbeláez is an Assistant Professor at the College of Liberal Arts, University of Texas at Austin. His academic focus spans colonial Latin American history, particularly Indigenous-European imperial interactions in the early modern Atlantic world. Previously, he taught at Universidad de los Andes (Colombia) and the University of Connecticut. Education includes: Ph.D. in History (2018), Yale University M.A. in History, Universidad de los Andes B.A. in History, Universidad de los Andes His research integrates material culture, agrarian history, and textual artifact analysis with recent work examining how Indigenous homelands transformed into colonial landscapes. Primary interests include: Muisca-European relations in 16th-century Ubaque Formation of political entities in the northern Andes Historical cartography of Colombia Digital approaches to colonial territorial transformation Publications emphasize Indigenous agency against imperial structures, with recent works analyzing anticolonial resistance movements and cartographic representations of power. His 2015 book reevaluates the Spanish encomienda system through everyday interactions, while forthcoming work examines kingdom-making processes in the Andes. Awards: Honorable Mention, Colombia's National History Award (2013) Digital humanities contributions include co-founding Neogranadina (nonprofit providing digitization tools to Latin American archives) and developing Paisajes coloniales - a bilingual digital project analyzing 17th-century Andean landscape paintings.