Assistant Professor
Office Location: WT 419
Phone Number: (262) 472-5776
Email Address: burkholj@uww.edu

My primary research interests focus on social inequalities of gender, ethnicity and race. I focus on Latin America, especially Pre-Columbian cultures, and especially in the Andes mountains. My current research project is a study of ethnic identity and material culture in the Sihuas Valley of Southern Peru. This is the first phase of a larger research agenda in the Sihuas Valley aimed at understanding the role it played in the development and distribution of important technology, ideas and ideology.

In North America I have worked on a number of related projects. These include identifying sites associated with abolitionism and the Underground Railroad, documenting African American graveyards, studying the effects of the growth of transportation and communication networks on rural communities, and mapping the manipulation of geography to create spaces for resistance.

I also have experience working with issues of cultural resource management and heritage preservation. Because of my South American work I have also become interested in looting and the trafficking of antiquities. As always I remain interested in the position of women in the field of archaeology and the issues that effect the recruitment and retention of both women and minorities in science and science related fields.