Crossing the line? The Spanish-Portuguese frontier seen through publications on pre- and protohistory

Abstract

Using a sample of specialist publications from the Iberian Peninsula, we define the research patterns of Spanish and Portuguese archaeologists and the communication they maintain among themselves and with colleagues from other countries. Combining analyses of sources and citations, we evaluate how and where research is carried out. Our results help define bibliometric indicators responsive to the specific needs of Archaeology. We note the absence of important differences between Iberian archaeologists. They share a localism that causes a near absence of international collaboration and discourages cooperation between regions. Co-authored works are rare, and in each country national authors are favored in the source and the national language in the citations. Most international communication occurs between Spain and Portugal, followed by links to French and German archaeologies, both long-established in the Peninsula. The similarity of pre-Roman archaeology in both sides of the «line» is the result of their shared dependency on traditional culture history. We note the risks of nationalist manipulation implicit in a scientific practice that tailors the problems studied and the publications and authors cited to modern administrative boundaries.