The research lines of the UPF groups that nurture the proposed master's degree are broad and, as a whole, address a global perspective either at a theoretical level, from an approach to gender, landscape and consumption issues, or geographically. The research groups lead, or collaborate, in current research projects in different parts of the world: Europe and the Middle East (Spain, Greece, Turkey, Italy), Asia (Pakistan, India, Iran), Africa (Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Botswana, Egypt), America (Brazil, Chile), and Pacific / Oceania (Guam, Philippines).

The research lines of the UPF groups that nurture the proposed master's degree are a good example of the global character, both for their theoretical perspectives and for their geographical dimension, of the research carried out at UPF. They include fundamental themes to understand the current shape of our world; aspects such as gender and social inequalities, colonialism and global migration, climate change and the use and consumption of resources, the construction and resilience of landscapes, local communities in global markets, or the importance of cultural heritage (including digital). These are also main challenges for social welfare in an increasingly globalized world. The teaching staff of the master lead or collaborate in projects that investigate these and other related topics in the four continents: Europe (e.g. Spain, Greece, Turkey, Italy), Asia (e.g. Pakistan, Turkey, India, Iran), Africa (e.g. Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia , Botswana, Egypt), America (e.g. Brazil, Chile, Venezuela, Curaçao, Bonnaire), and Oceania (e.g. Guam, Rota, Saipan, Philippines).

 

Research Projects

As an example, the following are some of the projects lead or participated by the UPF staff:

  • Arqueología Mediterránea: materialidad, conectividad y escritura (PI Ana Delgado Hervás) - migrations, mobility and connections; daily practices and material culture; gender, inequality and social minorities. Mediterranean (I millennium BC).
  • Material Culture, Colonialism and Gender in the Pacific. An Approach from Historical Archaeology (PI Sandra Montón-Subías) – Guam, Historical Archaeology, modern colonialism.
  • Resilience and Adaptation to Drylands: Identifying Past Water Management Practices for Drougth-resistant Crops – RAINDROPS (PI Carla Lancelotti) – Ethiopia, Sudan, Pakistan, development of analytical methodologies for investigating ancient crops, agricultural practices in prehistory, Origin of Agriculture, Ethnoarchaeology.
  • Modeling the Origin of Agriculture and Urbanism in South Asia – ModAgrO (PI Marco Madella) – Pakistan, Indus Valley Civilization, Neolithic to Bronze Age, Origin of Agriculture, Ethnoarchaeology, agricultural practices, and urbanization processes.
  • National Papyrological Fund – DVCTVS (PI Alberto Nodar) – Linguistic and technological study of papyri from diverse collections.
  • Archaeo-anthropological Research in Puntland, Somalia: Cultural Heritage and Human Occupation in the Holocene (PI Stefano Biagetti) – Horn of Africa archaeology, heritage mapping and transfer of knowledge in arid environments.
  • Griegos y comunidades locales en el entorno de Empúries: paisaje, poblamiento y contactos culturales en el antiguo estuario del Ter y el Fluvià (siglos X-II a.C.) (PI Ana Delgado Hervás) - Diasporas, mobility and connections; landscape, power and territory in colonial and contact areas. 
  • Cazadores-Recolectores de la Costa del Desierto de Atacama (PI Débora Zurro, D. Salazar) – Chile, hunter-gatherers, exploitation of marine resources, social practices and resources.
  • Comidas, Cocinas y Prácticas de Consumo en espacios coloniales mediterráneos (siglos VIII-V a. C.) -  HESTIA (PI Ana Delgado Hervás) - Iberian Peninsula, Sardinia and Sicily, mobility, food practices, gender and social identities (I millennium BC).

  • Mujeres y Género en las sociedades prehistóricas y antiguas: de la investigacióna la educación (IP. P. González Marcén / UPF Ana Delgado Hervás). Red de excelencia: UAB, UPF, UV, UGR,UJ, UO, UAM. Género y Arqueología pública.

  • Pastwomen: Historia Material de las Mujeres (IP Carmen Rísquez / UPF Ana Delgado Hervás: UAB, UPF, UV,Museo de Valencia, UGR, UJ y Museo de Jaén). Género, Cultura Material y Arqueología pública.

  • Archaeology of Cultural Contact and Iberian Colonialism in Guam – ABERIGUA (PI Sandra Montón-Subías) – Marianna Islands, Community Archaeology, Heritage and indigenous communities.

  • Archaeology and Gender in Europe-AGE. Punto de contacto en UPF: Sandra Monton Subías

  • Çatalhöyük Research Project (Team Leader in Archaeobotany Marco Madella) – Turkey, Origin of Agriculture, Neolithic resource exploitation, food webs and social processes. 
  • Archaeology of Informal Commerce in the Colonial Caribbean – ArCarib (PI Konrad Antczak) – Venezuela, Historical Archeology, commerce and maritime contraband.
  • Examining Pan-Neotropical Diasporas – EXPAND (PI Jonas Gregorio de Souza) - Pre-Columbian Amazonia, population dynamics, modeling, ABM, Holocene environment. 
  • Colonial Consequences of the Japanese Empire in the Mariana Islands – (PI Julie Mushynsky) – Marianna Islands, Historical Archeology, Conflict Archeology, Heritage and local communities.
  • Eastern Tigray Archaeological Project – EATP (PI C D’Andrea, Simon Fraser University, Canada / UPF Carla Lancelotti) - Ethiopia, complex societies, resource exploitation, food webs. 
  • Lobatze Archaeological Project (PI Stefania Merlo, Wits, South Africa/ UPF Stefano Biagetti) – Botswana, Spatial Archaeology, domestic space, complex societies, Iron Age.
  • Olynthos Archaeological Project (PI Liza Nevett, University of Michigan, EEUU / Carla Lancelotti) – Greece, Spatial Archaeology, society and economy, classical period.
  • Plants, people and other entities in Amazonia: an interdisciplinary approach to study the domestication of forest landscapes (PI Mariana Cassino, Charles Clemens, Marco Madella), Pre-Columbian Amazonia, Landscape Archaeology, Archaeobotany, Social Archaeology, Ethnoarchaeology.
  • Holocene Land Use (PI Marco Madella) – A global data synthesis project in relation to landscape transformations due to anthropic activity throughout the Holocene. Anhropocene, Modeling.
  • Changing Market Places (PI M. Madella) – Spain, United Kingdom, Switzerland, and Holland. HERA - EU project on social networks developed in the market-places, social inclusion, traders dynamics. Social Anthropology.

 

Research Groups

The previous projects are associated with the three main archaeological research groups that exist in the UPF. These are:

Furthermore, the preferential relationship established with the Milà i Fontanals Institution for Research in the Humanities (Higher Council for Scientific Research) through the creation of an “Associated Unit” allows expanding the lines of research and projects to which students will have access.

 

Planetary Wellbeing

The master's degree is also part of a transversal, multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary action in the field of Planetary Wellbeing that represents the backbone theme of the teaching and research development of Universitat Pompeu Fabra. The idea of Planetary Wellbeing was born with the objective of contributing to the knowledge and understanding of the complex, interrelated and systemic problems faced by human, animal and the planet's own well-being.