Christina Maranci (born 1968) is an Armenian-American researcher, writer, translator, historian, and professor at currently serving as the
Mashtots Professor of Armenian Studies at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
. She is considered an expert on the history and development of
Armenian architecture
Armenian architecture comprises architectural works with an aesthetic or historical connection to the Armenians, Armenian people. It is difficult to situate this architectural style within precise geographical or chronological limits, but many o ...
.
Life
Maranci was born in 1968 in the United States and grew up in
Connecticut
Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
.
She is of
Armenian
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent
** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...
descent. Her father was born in
Istanbul
Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
,
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
and her mother was born in the United States.
She attained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History at
Vassar College
Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States. The college be ...
in 1990. Maranci continued her education and received a master's degree at
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...
in the Art and Archeology department.
She received her Ph.D. at Princeton University in 1998 in the Art and Archeology department with her dissertation ''Medieval Armenian Architecture in Historiography: Josef Strzygowski and his Legacy''.
She also audited courses with
Nina Garsoïan
Nina G. Garsoïan (April 11, 1923 – August 14, 2022) was a French-born American historian specializing in Armenian and Byzantine history. In 1969 she became the first female historian to get tenure at Columbia University and, subsequently, b ...
at New York University.
She was an assistant professor at the
University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee
The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (UW–Milwaukee, UWM, or Milwaukee) is a Public university, public Urban university, urban research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It is the largest university in the Milwaukee metropo ...
from 2001 to 2004, and an associate professor there through 2008. From 2008 to 2016 she was an associate professor in the Department of Art and Art History at
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university in Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts, United States, with additional facilities in Boston and Grafton, as well as Talloires, France. Tufts also has several Doctor of Physical Therapy p ...
, and from 2016 to 2022, a full professor.
In 2022 she was appointed to the Mashtots Chair of Armenian Studies at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
, becoming the first woman and the first person of Armenian descent in that position.
She is the third holder of the chair since its inauguration in 1969, after
Robert W. Thomson who held the position from 1969 to 1992 and
James R. Russell who held the chair from 1992 to 2016.
Notable fellowship and awards
*Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation Fellowship (1995–1997)
*Mellon Dissertation Research Fellowship, Princeton University (1997–1998)
*University of Madison, Wisconsin – Graduate School Research Award Fellowship (2006)
*University of Madison, Wisconsin – Center for 21st-Century Studies Research Fellowship (2007–2008)
*Tufts University – Faculty and Research Award (2010)
She is featured in the 2011 book ''Encyclopedia of Prominent Armenian Women'' edited by
Zori Balayan.
Works
Maranci's research is mainly on
medieval Armenian history and the relationship with the Sasanian, Byzantine, and Islamic empires.
She also focuses on the problems found in modern historiography.
Maranci's 2001 book ''Medieval Armenian Architecture: Constructions of Race and Nation'' highlights art historian
Josef Strzygowski
Josef Rudolph Thomas Strzygowski (March 7, 1862 – January 2, 1941) was a Polish-Austrian art historian known for his theories promoting influences from the art of the Near East on European art, for example that of Early Christian Armenian archi ...
and his important contributions and influence in the studies of
Armenian architecture
Armenian architecture comprises architectural works with an aesthetic or historical connection to the Armenians, Armenian people. It is difficult to situate this architectural style within precise geographical or chronological limits, but many o ...
.
Her recent works focus on the Byzantine influence into Armenian art and architecture.
She has published ''A Survival Guide for Art History Students'' (2004), which provides Art History students with helpful assistance and information to help them when taking Art History courses.
The languages Maranci researches in include Italian, English, German, French, Armenian (
Classical Armenian
Classical Armenian (, , ; meaning "literary anguage; also Old Armenian or Liturgical Armenian) is the oldest attested form of the Armenian language. It was first written down at the beginning of the 5th century, and most Armenian literature fro ...
and
Modern Armenian) and Greek.
Maranci is also deemed as one of the world's experts and authorities on the
Cathedral of Mren, an Armenian cathedral in Turkey that is on the verge of collapse.
Books
*''Medieval Armenian Architecture: Constructions of Race and Nation'' (2001)
*''A Survival Guide for Art History Students'' (2004)
*''Vigilant Powers: Three Churches of Early Medieval Armenia'' (2015)
*''The Art of Armenia: An Introduction'' (2018)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maranci, Christina
1968 births
Living people
21st-century American historians
American people of Armenian descent
Princeton University alumni
Tufts University faculty
University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee faculty
Vassar College alumni
Turkish emigrants to the United States
American women historians
Armenian studies scholars
21st-century American women writers
21st-century American translators