M. Brinton Lykes (born 1949) is an American psychologist who has established a reputation for her work on psychosocial effects of state-sponsored terror and organized violence.

Life

Lykes originally hailed from New Orleans. She obtained her first BA degree from

Hollins University Hollins University is a private university in Hollins, Virginia. Founded in 1842 as Valley Union Seminary in the historical settlement of Botetourt Springs, it is one of the oldest institutions of higher education for women in the United States ...

before proceeding to

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

where she obtained an M.Div. in Applied Theology. She obtained a Ph.D. in Community Psychology from Boston College. Lykes has worked at

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...

since 1992 where she was promoted from assistant professor to full professor in the Lynch School of Education. She has held various posts including department chair and Associate Dean.

Work

Lykes work has focused on understanding the impact of state-sponsored violence and terror. She has worked mostly in Central America, in particular with the

Maya peoples The Maya peoples () are an ethnolinguistic group of Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica. The ancient Maya civilization was formed by members of this group, and today's Maya are generally descended from people ...

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

. She has used

participatory action research Participatory action research (PAR) is an approach to action research emphasizing participation and action by members of communities affected by that research. It seeks to understand the world by trying to change it, collaboratively and following ...

and

oral history Oral history is the collection and study of historical information about individuals, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews. These interviews are conducted with people wh ...

as her primary research methods. She is the co-founder of the Martín-Baró Fund for Mental Health and Human Rights. She is the co-editor of the

International Journal of Transitional Justice ''International Journal of Transitional Justice'' is an interdisciplinary peer-reviewed academic journal published triannually by Oxford University Press to provide a forum for transitional justice as an academic discipline in its own right. It ...

Awards

Lykes has received a variety of awards for her work including the

APA International Humanitarian Award The APA International Humanitarian Award is an award of the American Psychological Association that "recognizes extraordinary humanitarian service and activism by a psychologist or a team of psychologists, including professional and/or volunteer wor ...

of the American Psychological Association and the Ignacio Martín-Baró Lifetime Peace Practitioner Award of the APA Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict and Violence.

Publications

* Lykes, M. B. & Sibley, E. (2014). Liberation psychology and pragmatic solidarity: North-South collaborations through the Ignacio Martín-Baró Fund. Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology, 20(3), 209–226. * Lykes, M.B. (2014). Maya Women of Chajul. In Coghlan, D. & Brydon-Miller, M. (Eds). The SAGE encyclopedia of action research. (Vols. 1–2) (pp. 529–532) . Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE. * Lykes, M.B. (2014). Ignacio Martín-Baró. In Coghlan, D. & Brydon-Miller, M. (Eds). The SAGE encyclopedia of action research. (Vols. 1–2) (pp. 523–526). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE

References

21st-century American psychologists Boston College faculty Fellows of the American Psychological Association Harvard Divinity School alumni Living people Boston College alumni 1949 births Hollins University alumni Peace psychologists 20th-century American psychologists {{US-psychologist-stub