معرفی
Kathryn Sampeck is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at Illinois State University, where she conducts research at the intersection of archaeology and ethnohistory. Her work critically examines colonialism in Spanish America, emphasizing the bodily, intellectual, and social dimensions of colonial encounters, particularly through the lens of Mesoamerican and Native American experiences in the U.S. Southeast.
Her research interests include the cultural history of taste, cultural landscapes, cartography, literacy, monetization, and Atlantic World commerce. She has engaged in long-term collaborative projects with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians focused on heritage management and public education, reflecting her commitment to community-based scholarship.
Her recent publications span leading journals such as American Antiquity, International Journal of Historical Archaeology, Mesoamérica, Ancient Mesoamerica, Journal of Latin American Geography, and Historical Archaeology. These works reflect a strong interdisciplinary trend, combining archaeological evidence with ethnohistorical analysis to explore themes of cultural continuity, colonial transformation, and indigenous agency.
- Central America Fellow, David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies, Harvard University (2015–2016)
- Fellow, Afro-Latin American Institute at the Hutchins Center, Harvard University (2015–2016)
- Fellow, John Carter Brown Library
- Fellow, John D. Rockefeller Library, Colonial Williamsburg
- Grant recipient from National Science Foundation
- Grant recipient from Wenner-Gren Foundation
- Grant recipient from Social Science Research Council
- Fulbright awardee
- Cherokee Preservation Foundation grantee
Sampeck has served as Guest Editor for a special issue of Ethnohistory titled “Colonial Mesoamerican Literacy: Method, Form, and Consequence,” published in cooperation with the John Carter Brown Library. She is also an Associate Editor for the journal Historical Archaeology, contributing to the advancement of scholarly discourse in her field. While no formal advisees are listed, her grant-funded projects suggest active mentorship and collaboration with students and indigenous communities.
Her work is deeply embedded in collaborative and applied anthropology, particularly through her partnership with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, where she contributes to heritage preservation and public education initiatives that bridge academic research with community needs.
