A Phenomenological Approach to Classic Maya Kingship

Author: Griffin    Dever

Major: Anthropology & Philosophy

Graduation Year: 2024

Thesis Advisor: Susan Bredlau

Description of Publication: The aim of this Honors Thesis project is to describe the experience of the Maya kingship of the Classic period and its role in Maya culture. The thesis takes a phenomenological approach and draws primarily on the work of Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Martin Heidegger, John Russon, and Walter Benjamin. The archaeological record of the Maya world, especially the city of Palenque, is the primary resource upon which this analysis is based, including monumental art and public architecture, ritual, courtly art and stonework, and stelae. However, some focus is also given to existing background literature to provide the reader with some historical facts and information concerning Maya civilization and culture and to place the analysis within its cultural context. Ultimately, the conclusion of this project is that the kingship was not perceived in the same way as the original project intended to determine, and instead composed a “world,” which served to structure the ways the Maya interacted with their surroundings.

Location of Publication:

URL to Thesis: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/honors/869/