Sebastian Fajardo is an anthropologist engaged with the study of long-term relations between collective action, community formation, settlement patterns, and technological complexity. He aims to identify structural and behavioural variables that control processes of human adaptation. He also works on understanding how these phenomena relate to the creation and sustainability of past human communities, and providing a source of information for long-term decisions of present and future societies. These questions are approached using quantitative and qualitative material analysis, geospatial analysis, soil analysis, network analysis, and computer modelling. His previous research compared the creation, adaptation, and sustainability of (prehistoric, historic, and modern) human communities in Andean and Caribbean landscapes. He also has extensive experience in environmental assessment, stakeholder management, and cultural heritage management.
Current Research
His research at TU Delft is part of the Ancient Adhesives project led by Geeske Langejans. Using ethnoarchaeological and ethnobotanical methods, he will map, model and compare adhesives’ technologies produced by traditional makers located in different African environmental contexts. He will bring together these ethnographic data with archaeological and experimental data collected by other team members in a comprehensive database of production, use, recycling, and disposal of adhesives technologies. This database will be used as departing point for modelling ancient adhesives production complexity.
