João Leal is professor of Anthropology at Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas (Universidade Nova de Lisboa) and a researcher at CRIA - Centro em Rede de Investigação em Antropologia (UNL). His main topics of research have been the study of ritual and performance and the history of Portuguese anthropology. Other research interests include nationalism and national identity, and transnational and ethnic processes associated with Portuguese migration to North-America. He has extensively researched Holy Ghost festas in the Azores, in North America and Brazil (Maranhão). He is the author of the books "As Festas do Espírito Santo nos Açores. Um Estudo de Antropologia Social" (Holy Ghost Festivals. A Study on Social Anthropology) (1994), "Azorean Identity in Brazil and the United States: Arguments about History, Culture and Transnational Connections" (2011) and "O Culto do Divino. Migrações e Transformações" (The Cult of the Divine. Migrations and Transformations) (2017). He also published two books on the history of Portuguese anthropology: "Etnografias Portuguesas (1870-1970). Cultura Popular e Identidade Nacional" (Portuguese Ethnographies 1870-1970: Folk Culture and National Identity) (2000) and "Antropologia em Portugal. Mestres, Percursos, Transições" (Anthropology in Portugal: Founding Fathers, Pathways, Transitions) (2006). He has published 41 papers in peer-reviewed journals and 39 book chapters. He has supervised 16 PhD theses and co-supervised 4 PhD theses. He has supervised 11 MA theses and co-supervised 3 MA theses. He is a member of the National Council of Culture (Section Museums, Conservation and Immaterial Cultural Heritage) and a member of the Scientific Committee of the Emigration Observatory.