María Luz García

María Luz García is a Professor in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminology at Eastern Michigan University, specializing in linguistic and cultural anthropology with Ixil Maya communities in Guatemala and the U.S. diaspora.

She earned her Ph.D. from The University of Texas at Austin in 2012.

Dr. García investigates how Ixil speakers use language to construct social realities amid post-genocide recovery and transnational migration, with expertise in navigating institutional contexts like courts and schools. Her core research areas include:

• Linguistic Anthropology
• Cultural Anthropology
• Historical Memory
• Ethnography
• Immigration Studies
• Transnational Studies
• Indigenous Studies
• Mayan Languages

Scientific Awards: None reported in the provided text.

She mentors students in anthropology and Indigenous studies while securing major research funding through:

• Endangered Languages Documentation Programme
• Sociological Initiatives Foundation
• Andrew Mellon Foundation's Humanities Without Walls initiative

Dr. García collaborates with Ixil community organizations to produce trilingual (Ixil-Spanish-English) educational books and bilingual documentation of refugee experiences for community use.