Anita Herzfeld
1
Highlights
First female Director of KU’s Office of Study Abroad
First Linguistics teacher at the University of Costa Rica
Published first book on Limonese Creole, an African-Costa Rican dialect
Won Michael J. Young Undergraduate Advisor’s Award twice
2002: National Faculty Award for Outstanding Contributions to International Education
Biography
Anita Herzfeld, University of Kansas Professor of Latin American Studies and of Linguistics, is an impressive scholar, professor, advisor, and administrator. Her expertise allowed her to publish the first book on Limonese Creole, the dialect of Creole spoken by an African-Costa Rican minority. Named KU’s Outstanding International Woman in 1975, she has certainly proved that title to be true.
Dr. Herzfeld received her Bachelor of Arts in 1965 from the Instituto Superior del Profesorado in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and followed with a MA from the University of Kansas. She received her PhD, also from KU, in 1978. In addition to her work at KU, she has also worked at Georgetown University with the USAID Program, serving as a Director of Grant Project and Chief of Party for Central American Peace Scholarships and the Executive Director of the Central American Scholarship program.
She has been highly involved at the University of Kansas, serving as an Assistant to the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Associate Director of the Seminars on Higher Education in the Americas, and Associate Director of International Programs. She is the editor of several books on Higher Education in the Americas. For an impressive length of 4 years, she directed the University of Costa Rica-KU Exchange Program. She was also the first woman Director of the Office of Study Abroad.
As a scholar, Dr. Herzfeld is a pioneer in her field. She was the first linguistics teacher at the University of Costa Rica and the first linguist to publish a book on the Creole spoken in Costa Rica. She has authored over 50 articles on the sociolinguistic aspects of this language, Limonese Creole. Dr. Herzfeld has received grants from the Ford Foundation, ACLS, Danforth Foundation, and was awarded with 6 different Fulbright grants, which she has used to fund research in the United States, Costa Rica, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and Guatemala. She has recently been conducting research in Paraguay and Peru on attitudes of high school students towards native languages (Guarani and Quechua, respectively) and English.
Dr. Herzfeld has twice won the Michael Young Advisor’s Award in the Humanities and received a 2002 Teaching Award from the Center for Teaching Excellence. For her work in International Education, she received a National Faculty Award for Outstanding Contributions in 2002 and a Provost’s Award in 2005.
Dr. Herzfeld currently serves with KU’s Center of Latin American Studies as a Professor and Director of Undergraduate Advising.
Awards2005Michael Young Advisor’s Award in the Humanities Provost’sAward in International EducationFulbright participant in exchange with Peru’s Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, July 2005GRF award for conducting research in Paraguay Fulbright lecture/research grant, Paraguay (summer of 2003)National Faculty Award for outstanding contributions to international education, 2002Teaching Award, Center for Teaching Excellence, Michael Young Advisor’s Award in the Humanities2001Phi Beta Delta Award for Excellence in International EducationTeaching Award, Center for Teaching Excellence2000Distinguished Service Award by the University of Costa RicaFulbright lecture/research grant, Mariano Galvez University, Guatemala1994 Sabbatical to conduct research on Limonese Creole, Costa Rica, fall 1993Intra-University Visiting Professorship (Kemper), Department of Anthropology1991-1992Visiting Professor, University of Panama, Panama (ad honorem)1987-1989 Director of Grant Project, Chief of Party, Central American Peace Scholarships, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. & USAID/Panama1986–1989Executive Director, Central American Scholarship Program, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. (USAID funded)1985- 1986Tinker Grant to conduct research in Central America1982-1983Women’s Hall of Fame Award, KU,1982Fulbright Faculty Research grant, Bocas del Toro, Panama1980-1981Elected Member of the CIEE Board of Directors1977-1984Fulbright doctoral dissertation fellowship to conduct creole research in Costa Rica1974-1975Outstanding International Woman Award1975Danforth Graduate Fellowship for Women1973Ford Foundation Cooperative Research Grant: Pilot Study of Limonese CreoleLSA Fellowship1971ACLS Fellowship1964Fulbright to the U.S
Books *Las causas sociales de la desaparición y del mantenimiento de las lenguas en las Américas, co-editor with Yolanda Lastra. Hermosillo, Mexico: Universidad de Sonora, 1999*Mekaytelyuw/: el inglés criollo de Limón, San José, Costa Rica: Universidad de Costa Rica, 2002
Articles
“Language and Identity in Central America: a History of Oppression, Struggle and Achievement,” Latin America: An Interdisciplinary Approach. Eds. Julio López- Arias and Gladys M. Varona-Lacey. New York: Peter Lang, 1998, pp. 43-66“Cohesion in Limonese Creole,” Studies in Caribbean Language II. Eds. Pauline Christie, B. Lalla, V. Pollard, L. Carrington. St. Augustine, Trinidad, WI: Society for Caribbean Linguistics, 1999, pp. 163-177“El criollo limonense vive aún,” Las causas sociales de la desaparición y del mantenimiento de las lenguas en las naciones de América. Eds. Anita Herzfeld and Yolanda Lastra. Hermosillo, México: Universidad de Sonora, 1999, pp. 173- 185“Integración o Pluralismo: la educación intercultural bilingüe de los Maya- hablantes,” Actas del XI Congreso Internacional de la Asociación de Lingüística y Filología de la América Latina. Ed. J. A. Samper, Universidad de las Palmas de Gran Canaria. 22 -27 July, 1996, 2000, pp.1745-1753 “Male talk in a Creole Speaking Community,” Proceedings of the Mid America Linguistics Conference Papers 1999. Ed. Michael M. T. Henderson, Lawrence, KS: University of Kansas Linguistics Department, 2000, pp. 124-135“Los criollos de base inglesa en Centroamérica: investigaciones recientes,”Quinto Encuentro Internacional de Lingüística en el Noroeste. Eds. Ma. del Carmen Morúa Leyva y Gerardo López Cruz, Hermosillo, Sonora, México: Editorial UniSon, 2000, pp.179-196"Lenguas en contacto: el criollo limonense y el español de Costa Rica" Signo y Seña, Facultad de Filosofía y Letras. Buenos Aires, Argentina: Universidad de Buenos Aires, 2001, pp. 17-30“Limonese Creole Listings,” Compiler with Franklin Perry. International Dictionary Series, General Editor Mary Ritchie Key. Published as a C.D. 2001“Una aproximación a la historia de los criollos de base inglesa en Centroamérica”, La ruta del esclavo. Ed. Rina Cáceres. San José, Costa Rica: Universidad de Costa Rica, Centro de Investigaciones Históricas, UNESCO y Fundación Ford, Feb.24-26, 1999 (2001), pp. 361-376“Los criollos de base inglesa en Centro América: investigaciones recientes,” La Romania Americana: Procesos lingüísticos en situaciones de contacto. Eds. Norma Díaz, R. Ludwig, Stefan Pfánder. Frankfurt am Main: Iberoamericana, Vervuert, 2002, pp. 265- 279“Lengua e identidad en Centroamérica: mantenimiento, cambio o extinción.” Memorias del II Congreso de Pueblos Indígenas. 2001. San José, Costa Rica: Universidad de Costa Rica, 2003. pp. 163-169“The Limonese Calypso as an Identity Marker,” in collaboration with David Moskowitz. Creoles, Contact, and Language Change. Eds. Armin Schwegler and Geneviève Escure. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company. 2004, pp.259-284“Language and Identity in a Contact Situation: The Limonese Creole Speakers of Costa Rica, ” A Pepper-pot of Cultures: Aspects of Creolization in the Caribbean. Eds.G. Collier and Ulrich Fleischmann. Matatu 27-28. Amsterdam: Editions Rodopi B.V., pp.67-83“Mecanismos de cambios lingüísticos inducidos por contacto,” Dinámica Lingüística de Lenguas en Contacto, México: Universidad de Sonora, 2006“Afro-Caribbean Music as a Cohesión Factor of Identity,” Rastafari: a Universal Philosophy in the Third Millenium. Ed. Werner Zips. 2006. Vienna: University of Vienna; pp.202-214
Quotes
I have learned that whatever you accomplish, you never manage to do it just by your own efforts alone. There are always people you have met on the way who have contributed, knowingly or not, to show you the path and to stand by you to support you.
To me, the most important aspect of academic life has always resided in communicating with students. However, if one were interested in administrative positions at the university, one would have to network constantly. Finding good mentors is undoubtedly of great value either way - in academics and in the administration.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++Con autorización del autor.
Tken from the Universtiy of Kansas. Women's Hall of Fame