Elizabeth Polk Benson (13 May 1924-19 March 2018

An appreciation of the life and work of Pre-Columbian art historian Elizabeth Polk Benson.is presented from multiple points of view

\u27Struggling with Language\u27 : Indigenous movements for Linguistic Security and the Politics of Local Community

In this article, I explore the relationship between linguistic diversity and political power. Specifically, I outline some of the ways that linguistic diversity has served as a barrier to the centralization of power, thus constraining, for example, the political practice of empire-formation. A brief historical example of this dynamic is presented in the case of Spanish colonialism of the 16th-century. The article proceeds then to demonstrate how linguistic diversity remains tied to struggles against forms of domination. I argue that in contemporary indigenous movements for linguistic security, the languages themselves are not merely conceived of as the object of the political struggle, but also as the means to preserve a space for local action and deliberation – a ‘politics of local community’. I show that linguistic diversity and the devolution of political power to the local level are in a mutually reinforcing relationship. Finally, I consider the implications of this thesis for liberal theorizing on language rights, arguing that such theory cannot fully come to terms with this political-strategic dimension of language struggles

The prototype of the Magliabechiano manuscripts : the reconstruction of a sixteenth century pictorial codex from central Mexico

Any study of the religion, calendars, and artistic monuments of the Post-Classic peoples of Central Mexico must draw from the wealth of information presented in the early Colonial documents painted and written shortly after the Conquest by or for Spanish friars and Spanish and Indian historians. However, our understanding of these manuscripts is often incomplete, and in many cases the documents are used uncritically, without a full comprehension of their purpose, originality, or the biases and knowledge of their creators. It is hoped that this study will make the eight existing documents of the Magliabechiano Group more useful tools for examining and explaining the ritual and artistic life of the Indians of Central Mexico. By reconstructing the prototype from which the documents in the Magliabechiano Group ultimately stem, the shared and unique features of the documents in the Group can be separated and the varying knowledge and ignorance of the different scribes and artists are brought into sharper focus. The manuscripts of the Magliabechiano Group can then be viewed as individual and differing interpretations of a specific model.Art and Art Histor

”Theory, Method & the Future of Pre-Columbian Art History”, 100th Annual Conference of the College Art Association - Los Angeles, California - February 24, 2010” Contributors: Cecelia F. Klein, Introductions; Esther Pasztory, ‘Pre-Columbian Art and World Art History’; Mary Miller, ‘Now You See It, Now You Don’t: Pre-Columbian Art in the American Museum . . . and in the Academy’; Elizabeth Hill Boone, ‘What Do You Say When There Are No Words?’; Tom Cummins, ‘Looking Back at the Future of Pre-Columbian Art History’; Carolyn Dean, ‘The Elusive Future of Pre-Columbian Art History’; Claudia Brittenham, ‘Interdisciplinary, International, Indispensable’.

Since the founding of the academic field of Pre-Columbian art history in the mid 20th century, the training of and work by Pre-Columbianists have changed substantially. Whereas the first Pre-Columbian art historians drew heavily on their knowledge of art history, other disciplines, and theory writ large, younger Pre-Columbian art historians today tend to specialize in one area and one time period, and to write primarily for fellow specialists with interests similar to their own. Increasingly little effort is made to render Pre-Columbian art history relevant to a broader public, whether that public comprise scholars in other fields or laypersons. One of the last fields to have been fully accepted by college and university art history departments in the U.S., Pre-Columbian art history also has always been among the first to go during an economic downturn. During this session, following brief presentations by the speakers and the discussant, there will be a panel conversation in which the audience may participate. The goal will be to assess where the field might and should go in the decades to come