معرفی
Øystein LaBianca serves as Senior Research Professor of Anthropology in Andrews University's School of Social & Behavioral Sciences and Associate Director of the Institute of Archaeology. His career spans over four decades with foundational work in Levantine archaeology, focusing on cultural-environmental dynamics at Tall Hisban, Jordan.
His academic credentials include:
- PhD in Anthropology, Brandeis University (1987)
- MA in Anthropology, Loma Linda University (1976)
- BA in Behavioral Sciences and Religion with Honors, Andrews University (1971)
- Advanced studies at Middle East College (Lebanon), Campus Adventiste du Salève (France), and Goethe Institute (Austria)
LaBianca's research centers on long-term cultural cycles through frameworks like food systems analysis and Great/Little Traditions theory. He investigates how indigenous hardiness structures—water management, mixed agro-pastoralism, and tribal hospitality—interact with imperial forces across Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Roman, and Ottoman civilizations. His work bridges zooarchaeology, ethnohistory, and global historical processes in the Levant.
His scientific recognition includes:
- Norwegian Academy of Science fellowship (2014-2015)
- National Endowment for Humanities post-doctoral fellowship (1989)
- Albright Fellowship at American Schools of Oriental Research (1981)
- Brandeis University Sacchar Fellowship (1980)
LaBianca directs major international projects including the $2.6M Global Moments Levant Project (funded by Research Council of Norway) and co-leads the Madaba Plains Project. He has secured grants from National Geographic Society, U.S. Department of State, and NEH for research on environmental regeneration cycles and imperial impacts on local communities. His fieldwork integrates zooarchaeology with ethnohistorical methods at Tall Hisban.
He maintains leadership roles in the American Schools of Oriental Research and American Center for Oriental Research, while advancing the 14-volume Hesban Final Publication Series.
