dissertation theme:
Missionary practice and the production of knowledge: ethnographic writing and collecting by the Congregation of the Holy Spirit in Angola, 19th and 20th centuries
 
supervisors:
Ricardo Roque (ICS-UL), Nélia Dias (ISCTE-IUL), Patrick Harries (Basel University)

This project aims to look at the relationships between ethnography, museum collections and missionary activities in the context of Portuguese colonialism in Africa. The analysis is focused on the historic role of the Catholic missionaries of the Holy Spirit in the colonial situation and in the production of ethnographic knowledge about Africa (Angola in particular).

dissertation thema:
Family and women's Associations in Morocco

supervisors:
Prof. Dr. João Pina Cabral e Prof. Dra. Maria Cardeira da Silva

This research tackles the social and juridical dynamics of family structure in Morocco. The starting point consists of fieldwork carried out in a women’s association in Essaouira (Association Féminine de Bienfaisance ElKhir) which aims at supporting and helping women in difficult situations. Most of them are victims of domestic violence, abandoned by their husbands or undergoing divorce procedures. The research analyzes how this kind of marginal situations relates to the core values of the Moroccan family. It also examines the social assumptions and the applicability of family code in Morocco.

dissertation theme:
At war: conflicting beliefs and ideologies in the GM food debate

supervisor:
José Manuel Sobral

The research takes the conflicting public discourse surrounding genetically modified organisms (GMO) and the social implications of the introduction of biotechnology into the food system as its central analytical object from an anthropological point of view. The focus will be on how this debate is developing in Portugal, analyzing pro and contra discourses from the various stakeholders through ethnographic research.