Silvia Sanchez Diaz

Graduate certificate student; currently a doctoral candidate in anthropology at the University of Kansas.

My research examines changing dynamics around ethnicity, gender, work, materiality, development and health as they relate to Guatemala’s informal economy. My dissertation is an ethnography of the circulation of Ch’orti’ Maya handmade objects, including century-old utilitarian articles and newly designed goods sold to a Ladino (non-Indigenous) consumer market. My work unpacks taken-for-granted notions of skill, intellect, aesthetics, dexterity, design, creativity and authenticity vis-à-vis the perspectives of Ch’orti’ Maya women.