Friedrich Katz
Encyclopedia
C. Friedrich Katz was an Austria
n-born anthropologist and historian specialized in 19th and 20th century history of Latin America
; particularly, in the Mexican Revolution
. He served as co-director of the Mexican Studies Program at the University of Chicago
, co-received the 1999 Bolton Prize (nowadays Bolton-Johnson Prize) for the best English-language book on Latin American History by The Conference on Latin American History and was honored with the Order of the Aztec Eagle
by the Government of Mexico
.
family led by Leo Katz and Bronia Rein that eventually escaped from Nazi
persecution. After failing to settle in France
and in the United States
due to the Communist
affiliation of his father, his family moved to Mexico, where he arrived at the age of 13, completed his basic studies, and began his bachelor's degree studies at the National School of Anthropology and History (ENAH), which he eventually completed at Wagner College
, in the United States
. He returned to Austria to complete a doctorate degree at the University of Vienna
in 1954 and moved to Germany
to attain habilitation
at the Humboldt University of Berlin
in the former GDR in 1962.
As a university professor, he returned to Mexico to serve as a visiting scholar at the National Autonomous University of Mexico
(UNAM, 1968–69) and a year later he joined the University of Texas at Austin
. In 1971 he joined to the University of Chicago where, eventually, he was appointed the Morton D. Hull Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of Latin American History.
On his 80th birthday, two university colloquia
were organized in his honor by the University of Chicago and El Colegio de México
. He died on 16 October 2010 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n-born anthropologist and historian specialized in 19th and 20th century history of Latin America
History of Latin America
Latin America refers to countries in the Americas where Romance languages are spoken. This definition, however, is not meant to include Canada, in spite of its large French-speaking population....
; particularly, in the Mexican Revolution
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle that started in 1910, with an uprising led by Francisco I. Madero against longtime autocrat Porfirio Díaz. The Revolution was characterized by several socialist, liberal, anarchist, populist, and agrarianist movements. Over time the Revolution...
. He served as co-director of the Mexican Studies Program at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, co-received the 1999 Bolton Prize (nowadays Bolton-Johnson Prize) for the best English-language book on Latin American History by The Conference on Latin American History and was honored with the Order of the Aztec Eagle
Order of the Aztec Eagle
The Order of the Aztec Eagle is a Mexican order and is the highest decoration awarded to foreigners in the country.It was created by decree on December 29, 1933 by President Abelardo L. Rodríguez as a reward to services given to Mexico or humankind by foreigners...
by the Government of Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
Biography
Katz was born in Vienna, Austria, into a JewishJudaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
family led by Leo Katz and Bronia Rein that eventually escaped from Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
persecution. After failing to settle in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
due to the Communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
affiliation of his father, his family moved to Mexico, where he arrived at the age of 13, completed his basic studies, and began his bachelor's degree studies at the National School of Anthropology and History (ENAH), which he eventually completed at Wagner College
Wagner College
Wagner College is a private, co-educational, national liberal arts college with an enrollment of approximately 2,400 total students located atop Grymes Hill in New York City's borough of Staten Island...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He returned to Austria to complete a doctorate degree at the University of Vienna
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...
in 1954 and moved to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
to attain habilitation
Habilitation
Habilitation is the highest academic qualification a scholar can achieve by his or her own pursuit in several European and Asian countries. Earned after obtaining a research doctorate, such as a PhD, habilitation requires the candidate to write a professorial thesis based on independent...
at the Humboldt University of Berlin
Humboldt University of Berlin
The Humboldt University of Berlin is Berlin's oldest university, founded in 1810 as the University of Berlin by the liberal Prussian educational reformer and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt, whose university model has strongly influenced other European and Western universities...
in the former GDR in 1962.
As a university professor, he returned to Mexico to serve as a visiting scholar at the National Autonomous University of Mexico
National Autonomous University of Mexico
The Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México is a university in Mexico. UNAM was founded on 22 September 1910 by Justo Sierra as a liberal alternative to the Roman Catholic-sponsored Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico The Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) (National Autonomous...
(UNAM, 1968–69) and a year later he joined the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
. In 1971 he joined to the University of Chicago where, eventually, he was appointed the Morton D. Hull Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of Latin American History.
On his 80th birthday, two university colloquia
Academic conference
An academic conference or symposium is a conference for researchers to present and discuss their work. Together with academic or scientific journals, conferences provide an important channel for exchange of information between researchers.-Overview:Conferences are usually composed of various...
were organized in his honor by the University of Chicago and El Colegio de México
El Colegio de México
El Colegio de México, A.C. is a prestigious Mexican institute of higher education, specializing in teaching and research in the social sciences and the humanities...
. He died on 16 October 2010 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
.
Works
- The Secret War in Mexico: Europe, the United States, and the Mexican Revolution (1981), The University of Chicago Press.
- Ensayos mexicanos (1994). Alianza Editorial, Mexico City.
- Ancient American Civilizations (1969, 1997), London.
- The Life and Times of Pancho Villa (1998), Stanford University PressStanford University PressThe Stanford University Press is the publishing house of Stanford University. In 1892, an independent publishing company was established at the university. The first use of the name "Stanford University Press" in a book's imprinting occurred in 1895...
. - Nuevos ensayos mexicanos (2006).