Eric Breault

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">Originally
from northern Illinois, Eric moved to Arizona in 2008. In 2011 he
graduated from Northern Arizona University with a degree in
Comparative Cultural Studies. He focused his undergraduate studies
on the histories of religious studies theory and Western philosophy. 

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">At Arizona
State University, Eric is in the Anthropology of Religion Ph.D.
track of Religious Studies.  His work investigates unofficial
folk saints in Latin America with a special focus on
Mexican-Catholic folkloric icons that are not recognized by the
Vatican, especially La Santa Muerte. This research examines
the historical trajectory of how the cult of the saints was brought
to the Americas via Spanish conquest, why such folk devotions became
pervasive in Latin America, and finally the manner in which these
religious practices constitute societies based on a shared sense of
meaning unique to the Latin American context.

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">Adviser: Dr.
Miguel Astor-Aguilera

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">Matriculated
August 2012