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Erik Lars Myrup

Education:
Ph.D., Yale, 2006
Biography:

A native of Salt Lake City, Professor Myrup also hails in part from New Haven, Connecticut—where he spent nearly a quarter of his life secretly aiming to become a professional student.  He majored in Latin American studies as an undergraduate (B.A., Yale, 1996), then subsequently returned to his alma mater to study history, completing an M.A., M.Phil, and Ph.D. over the course of the next decade (finally graduating in May 2006—to his wife's great surprise and delight).  Prior to coming to UK, he taught at Connecticut College and the University of Northern Colorado.  Additionally, he has worked as a missionary in western Brazil and as a writer and editor in Taiwan.  When he is not in his office—and even sometimes when he is—Professor Myrup can be found reading to his children.

Research Interests:
Brazil
Latin America
Portuguese Asia
Early Modern Expansion
Cross-Cultural Encounters
Office Hours

Spring 2024: W 2:00-3:00, F 1:00-2:30

**Beyond office hours, Professor Myrup is available at numerous other times. Please don't hesitate to e-mail or call to set up an appointment.**

Research & Teaching

In addition to Brazil and Latin America, Professor Myrup's teaching and research interests include Portuguese Asia, slavery and race in the Americas, and cross-cultural encounters in the early modern world.  He is the author of Power and Corruption in the Early Modern Portuguese World (LSU Press, 2015), a global study that draws upon archival research in Portugal, Brazil, Spain, and China, to shed new light on the influence of interpersonal networks on the administration of a vast overseas empire.  Additionally, he is co-editor with Stuart Schwartz of O Brasil no império marítimo português (EDUSC, 2009).  A former Fulbright Fellow in Portugal, Professor Myrup has held visiting fellowships at Portugal's National Library and National Archive, as well as at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale.  He loves working with students both big and little, and is a regular visitor in local elementary and secondary schools where he shares his excitement for the past with Kentucky's rising generation.  A prize-winning teacher, he has been a recipient of the Ken Freedman Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award (2019), the College of Education's "Teachers Who Made a Difference" Award (2016, 2018, 2019), the College of Arts and Sciences' Outstanding Teaching Award in the Humanities (2016), and the university-wide Provost's Outstanding Teaching Award (2011).