معرفی
Inês Lourenço is a Guest Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology at ISCTE-University Institute of Lisbon's School of Social Sciences and Humanities (ECSH). She serves as an Integrated Researcher at CRIA-Iscte (Networked Center for Research in Anthropology), where she contributes to the Circulation and Place Production Group. Her academic career is deeply rooted in anthropological studies of Indian communities in Portugal, with a particular focus on Hindu diaspora communities.
Dr. Lourenço's educational background demonstrates remarkable dedication to her field:
- Ph.D. in Anthropology from ISCTE-University Institute of Lisbon (2004-2009)
- Master's degree in Anthropology from ISCTE-University Institute of Lisbon (2000-2003)
- Bachelor's degree in Anthropology from ISCTE-University Institute of Lisbon (1996-2000)
- Two post-doctoral positions in Anthropology at the Networked Center for Research in Anthropology (2010-2015 and 2016-2018)
- Master's degree in Social Work with Families and Children (Erasmus Mundus)
Dr. Lourenço's research program centers on the Hindu Diaspora in Portugal, with extensive fieldwork conducted in both Portugal and India since 2000. She investigates how these communities maintain and transform their cultural practices, religious traditions, and identities in a new national context. A significant dimension of her work explores gender dynamics within diasporic communities, analyzing how traditional gender roles and power structures evolve across generations and geographical boundaries. Her research has increasingly incorporated museological perspectives, examining how cultural heritage is preserved, transmitted, and represented through institutional practices. She has also examined the consumption of Indian cultural commodities in Portugal, particularly Bollywood cinema and dance, and how these elements contribute to the formation of alternative cultural identities.
Analysis of Dr. Lourenço's publication record reveals a sophisticated evolution in her research focus. Starting with foundational studies on the Hindu community in Portugal, her work has progressively deepened to explore religious syncretism (such as the incorporation of Mother Mary into Hindu practices), historical connections to Diu in maintaining diasporic networks, and the complex narratives surrounding religious artifacts. Her most recent work demonstrates an increasing sophistication in examining the intersection of heritage, identity, and cultural transmission in the context of global migration.
As an active researcher at CRIA-Iscte, Dr. Lourenço contributes to collaborative projects examining migration, cultural heritage, and religious studies. Her sustained research output suggests ongoing engagement with research projects related to the Indian diaspora in Portugal, with particular attention to how communities negotiate identity across transnational spaces.
