HRAF Global Scholar: Ma Teresa Guanzon De Guzman, Ph.D.
Title: Dean and Professor, College of Arts and Sciences
University Affiliation: University of the Philippines Manila
Research Topic: Indigenous Peoples, Cultural Heritage, and Ethnolinguistics

HRAF Global Scholar Ma Teresa Guanzon De Guzman is the dean and a professor at the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of the Philippines Manila. Professor De Guzman leads a diverse academic community of students and faculty engaged in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. The mission of the College of Arts and Sciences is to foster interdisciplinary and socially responsive research that advances cultural understanding and national development. The eHRAF World Cultures and eHRAF Archaeology databases are invaluable resources to strengthen this mission, especially for anthropology, behavioral sciences, and planetary health programs that rely heavily on ethnographic and comparative data.

As a researcher, Professor De Guzman is currently developing studies that explore the intersections of indigenous knowledge, planetary health, and forensic anthropology. The ability to consult cross-cultural data from eHRAF provides empirical grounding for comparative frameworks and enhances the rigor of interdisciplinary scholarship. Professor De Guzman hopes that the entire university community will have access to the eHRAF databases in the future. She states:

Beyond personal research, this access will democratize learning, empowering our students and colleagues to participate more fully in the global academic community. This would help us fulfill the University’s public service mandate—to make knowledge truly accessible and inclusive.

Many of the students at the University of the Philippines Manila—particularly those from underprivileged backgrounds—lack the financial means to access comprehensive online databases and subscription-based resources. Access to the eHRAF databases would bridge this gap by providing equitable access to high-quality, curated ethnographic materials and cross-cultural data essential for both instruction and research. For example, courses on Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Practices (IKSP), Forensic Behavioral Sciences, and Disaster Risk Reduction and Management would benefit immensely from the rich comparative materials found in eHRAF. This would allow students to situate Philippine ethnographic cases within a broader global context and to engage in evidence-based cultural analysis.

HRAF is honored to feature Professor Ma Teresa Guanzon De Guzman as one of our HRAF Global Scholars for 2026. We wish her continued success with her research.

To support funding priorities such as the HRAF Global Scholars program and the development of our open access resources (Explaining Human Culture, Teaching eHRAF, and Introducing Cross-Cultural Research), please consider making a tax-deductible donation.