James MacKenzie

Dr. James MacKenzie is an Associate Professor in the Anthropology Department at the University of Lethbridge. After earning his PhD from SUNY Albany, he has conducted long-term ethnographic research in San Andrés Xecul, Guatemala, focusing on the interplay between Maya spirituality, transnational migration, and modern identity negotiations. His research examines religious pluralism, including shamanism, Pentecostal Christianity, and revitalized Maya spirituality, through the lens of ethnic politics and cultural preservation.

• Education: BA, MA (University of Alberta), PhD (SUNY Albany)
• Fields: Maya ethnohistory, transnational migration, religious syncretism, ethnic identity

His book Indigenous Bodies, Maya Minds (2016) analyzes religious options in a K'iche' Maya community, revealing tensions between tradition and modernity. Recent work (2023) explores institutional efforts to revitalize Maya spirituality at national levels. MacKenzie has conducted fieldwork in both Guatemala and San Diego, documenting how migration impacts cultural practices. He has published extensively in journals like International Journal of Latin American Religions and Anthropologica.

Currently, MacKenzie is not accepting graduate students. His research has been supported by archival work in the National Archives of Guatemala and oral history projects. He has also studied the impact of economic migration on ritual traditions and gender roles, with findings presented through comparative analyses of religious communities in rural and urban contexts.