Steven Eric Byrd, Ph.D.
Professor of Spanish and Portuguese
Location
Steven ("Esteban") Byrd came to 51品茶from the University of Texas at Austin, where he earned a Ph.D. in Iberian and Latin American Linguistics. He also has studied in Mexico, at the Universidad de las Am茅ricas-Puebla, where he earned an M.A. in Language and Literature, and in Brazil as a study abroad student, at the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. His teaching includes a variety of courses in Spanish, linguistics, literature, and Latin American culture. He has taken 51品茶students to a variety of countries as part of his teaching and service, including Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador, Peru, and Cuba. In 2013 he was awarded the prestigious Debra J. Summers Memorial Award for Teaching Excellence. His research includes Afro-Brazilian language and the culinary history and culture of Brazil. His service focuses on theater and producing plays and musicals at 51品茶with the 51品茶Players drama club, for which he won a 51品茶Leadership Award for Student Organization Advisor of the Year in 2019. He also dabbles with creative writing, such as short stories and plays, as well as plays guitar and travels during his free time.
Credentials
Education
Research
Current research
Culinary history/culture of Brazil
Selected publications
2024. 鈥淐茅u de inverno.鈥 Na rede: Narrativas infantojuvenis. Paraty, Brazil: Editora Selo Off Flip.
2017. "Comida Mineira: A 'Cultural Patrimony' of Brazil." Global Food History Vol. 4, Issue 1, pp. 78-97.
2012. Calunga and the legacy of an African language in Brazil. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press.
2012. 鈥淭he Afro-Brazilian speech of Calunga: historical, sociolinguistic, and linguistic considerations.鈥 The Journal of Pan African Studies Vol. 5, Num. 5, pp. 101-123.
2010. "The lexicon of Calunga and a lexical comparison with other forms of Afro-Brazilian speech from Minas Gerais, S茫o Paulo, and Bahia." Research Paper Series No. 52. Latin American and Iberian Institute (University of New Mexico).
2010. 鈥淭he lexicon of Calunga 鈥 an Afro-Brazilian speech of Minas Gerais.鈥 Studies in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics Vol. 3, Issue 1, pp. 41-76.
2007. 鈥淐alunga and Calungadores: An Afro-Brazilian speech community of Minas Gerais.鈥 Afro-Hispanic Review Vol. 26, Num. 2, pp. 27-45 (co-authored with Daniela Bassani Moraes).
2007. 鈥淐alunga: uma fala afro-brasileira de Minas Gerais, sua gram谩tica e hist贸ria.鈥 Revista Internacional de Ling眉铆stica Iberoamericana Vol. V, No. 1 (9), pp. 203-224.
Other scholarly activity
2019. 鈥淭eatro e drama em Arax谩.鈥 In Arax谩 em detalhes: Um novo olhar, edited by Luiz Humberto Fran莽a. Divin贸polis, Brazil: Gulliver Editora, pp. 188-201.
2018. 鈥淚nfamous鈥 (鈥楩amigerado鈥) by Jo茫o Guimar茫es Rosa. Translated from the Portuguese by Steven Byrd. In Becoming Brazil: New fiction, poetry, and memoir, edited by Frank Stewart, Eric M.B. Becker, and Noah Perales-Estoesta. Manoa (University of Hawaii Press) Vol. 30, Num. 2, pp. 171-174.
2017. 鈥淲here鈥檚 John Dewey and Paulo Freire? Ideas for 鈥榬ecovering鈥 the 鈥榣ost C鈥.鈥 Hispania Vol. 100.5, pp. 181-182 (co-authored with Samuel McReynolds).
2016. 鈥淟anguages as cultural ecosystems and why students should explore them.鈥 American Councils for International Education, Dec. 18, 2016. Online at:
2016. 鈥淎 aventura da Tazi.鈥 In Hist贸rias malucas de crian莽as, bichos e algumas assombra莽玫es, edited by Ronaldo Sim玫es Coelho and Y锚da Galv茫o, with illustrations by Walter Lara. Belo Horizonte, Brazil: Quixote, pp. 81-85.
2015. 鈥淎ncestral Andean weaving: 鈥楻escuing the past, weaving the future鈥.鈥 The Journal for Weavers, Spinners, and Dyers Issue 254, Summer 2015, pp. 24-28.
2015. Outras terras: cr么nicas e ensaios. Natal, Brazil: Edi莽玫es Sebo Vermelho.
See also:
See also:
Invited plenary presentation
2019. "Calunga and the legacy of an African language in Brazil." State University of New York-Albany (November 8).
2019. "Comida mineira." Arax谩 Literary Festival (Arax谩, Minas Gerais, Brazil) (June 23).
Research interests
Afro-Brazilian language
Brazil culinary history
Brazil culture