Archaeology of railway architecture: methodological practices in the framework of a Brazil-China comparative analysis

• Grant number: 23/10403-7
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Visiting Researcher Grant - International
• Start date: July 30, 2024
• End date: September 01, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Archeology - Historical Archaeology
• Principal Investigator: Eduardo Romero de Oliveira
• Grantee: Eduardo Romero de Oliveira
• Visiting researcher: Juan Manuel Cano Sanchiz
• Visiting researcher institution: University of Science and Technology Beijing (USTB), China
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências e Letras (FCL-ASSIS). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Assis. Assis , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This proposal for a Visiting Researcher Grant aims to contribute to the development of the archaeological activities foreseen in the work plan of the sixth phase of the Railway Memory project (FAPESP 22/15050-2). Since 2020, the Railway Memory project in Brazil and the visiting professor's research in China have produced advances that are integrated in this new proposal. However, the archaeological analyses of railway architecture in Brazil, and the comparative Brazil-China studies on railway heritage, are still at a preliminary stage. The stay of the visiting researcher in Brazil is therefore necessary for the development of such work and for the technical training of new human resources who can work in the area of archaeology within the Railway Memory project.To continue the correct progress of archaeological activities in the work schedule of the current phase of Railway Memory, it is now necessary to move on to more complex techniques linked to the meso and micro scales. In this case, parietal readings, typological analyses and other analyses within the scope of architectural archaeology as a new methodology for the study of railway architectural heritage in Brazil. In addition, this proposal for a Visiting Researcher Grant aims to build the foundations for a first pilot phase of comparative studies Brazil-China in the field of railway heritage and history, with a focus on architecture. In this sense, the activities scheduled for this internship will articulate the ongoing research projects coordinated by the researcher in charge in Brazil (FAPESP 22/15050-2) and by the visiting researcher in China. (AU)