Véronique Bélisle

Associate Professor of Anthropology

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Associate Professor of Anthropology
Director of International Education

I am an anthropological archaeologist interested in ancient state expansion. My work takes place in the Cusco region of southern Peru, where I examine the expansion of the Wari state (600-1000 CE). While top-down models continue to shape our thinking on state expansion by encouraging scenarios of profound local change and the loss of autonomy, my research adopts a bottom-up approach to investigate the degree of penetration of early states into the affairs of local communities. I center the discussion of colonization on the populations who met with state colonists and on the nature of the encounters between the two groups. Using a combination of large-scale excavations and regional systematic surveys, I document how local communities experienced colonial presence and how they co-existed in symbiotic and complex ways with expanding polities. My research therefore engages in debates on the intersection of state power and local agency. I work closely with Peruvian archaeologists, students and community members in all steps of my projects. I have published the results of my research in journals and edited volumes in English and Spanish, and I am currently working on a book on Wari state impact in Cusco.

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