foto Maria Josep Cascant Sempere
MARIA JOSEP CASCANT SEMPERE
PDI-Ajudant Doctor/A
Knowledge area: SOCIOLOGY
Department: Sociology and Social Anthropology
Despatx/Office 3D08, facultat de ciències socials / faculty of social sciences
Biography

STUDIES

  • Degree in Sociology at the Autonomous University of Barcelona
    • Bachelor's Degree Extraordinary Award (1999-2003)
    • Erasmus grant - 1 year at the University of East London, UK (2001-2002)
    • A with honours grant in A-levels - IES Lluís Vives, València (1999)
  • Master in Gender at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), Sussex University, UK (2005-2006)
    • Granted Spanish scholarship "LaCaixa"
    • Fieldwork in Angola (2 months)
  • PhD in International Development at the IDS, Sussex University, UK (2012-2016).
    • Granted Spanish scholarship "MutuaMadrileña"
    • Fieldwork in Nigeria (6 months)
    • Supervisors: Dr. Rosie McGee & Dr. Patta Scott-Villiers
    • Examiners: Prof. Rosalind Eyben (internacional development) & Prof. Donatella della Porta (social movements)
  • Working languages: Advanced in English, French and Portuguese; native in Spanish and Valencian.

 

RESEARCH

  • 1st six-year term certificate of research "sexenio" by the Spanish government – 2017-2022
  • Universitat de València, Spain, PI, 2025-2027 - PARTICIPATERURAL "Citizen participation in the Valencian Community: Open Councils and Rural Participatory Budgets" (Valencian Government, competitiva emergents, €20.000)
  • Universitat Jaume I of Castelló, Spain, Co-PI, 2022-2023 – PARTICIPATERURAL“Citizen Participation in rural areas of Castelló” (Valencian Government, partnership, €20,000)
  • Open University, UK, PI-postdoc, UK, 2020-2022, under the supervision of Prof. Giles Mohan. Studies: “Citizen participation in fragile countries, Myanmar, Nigeria and Zimbabwe” (UKAid, competitive, £224,773) and “Feminist Agroecology in Sao Paulo Brazil" (British Council, competitive, £162,762).
  • ChristianAid UK (NGO), London, Research advisor at the research team, 2016-2020. Studies: “Tax discrimination against female vendors in local markets in Nigeria” (Gates Foundation, competitive, £ 10,000); “Substitution models for coca in Peasant Reserve Zones in Colombia” (Christian Aid, own funds, £15,000) ; "Factors that contribute to the improvement of public services in remote areas of Sierra Leone” (UKAid, competitive, £15,000)
  • Sussex University, UK, research officer during PhD in 3 projects, 2012-2015: 1) GROW: coordinator of participatory methods in global project about gender policies (6 months, 2015); 2) MAVC: data insertion and cleaning in global project about participatory governance (1 month, 2014); 3) evaluation of IBP's project "Mentoring Governments": interviews in French and Spanish (4 months, 2012).
  • Reviewer in: African Identities (SJR-Q1), Arxius (Dialnet-C3), Development Policy Review (SJR-Q2), Iberoamerican Journal of Development Studies (SJR-Q2), International Development Planning Review (SJR-Q2), International Journal of Social Research Methodology (SJR-Q1), Journal of Rural Studies (SJR-Q1), Political Sciences & Politics (SJR-Q1), Revista d'Innovació i Recerca en Educació (Dialnet-C2), Revista Española de Sociología (SJR-Q2).
  • Research interests: citizen participation and deepening democracy (movements, associations, governments); international development; inequalities and poverty; participatory action research; academic-civil society-public sector collaboration.

 

OUTREACH AND INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE  

  • Training and Research Experience in 23 countries of Africa, Latin America, Asia, and Europe.
  • 10 years of study and work in the UK (Brighton, Londres).
  • Spain - Coordination of the "Strategic Plan of International Development 2024-2026" for the University Jaume I of Castelló, Vice-Rectorate of Equality, 2023.
  • Spain - Courses on citizen participation for civil servants of the Valencian administration, UV, UJI, 2023-2026.
  • Global - Research officer and Consultant with NGOs and unions, 2006-2012 (6 years), including Central America, Burundi, Colombia, Philippines, Ghana, India, Morocco, DRC, and Sierra Leone.
  • South Africa - Research & Evaluation Officer, Development NGO SARN, 2008 (1 year) – creation of evaluation framework on popular education, multilingual in English, French, Portuguese and Spanish (financed by the Open Society Institute, dvv, ActionAid)
  • Portugal - Research officer for the Feminist NGO UMAR, 2007 (1 year) – study on employment discrimination against women in fishing in the Azores (financed by the Fisheries Department, Government of the Azores)
  • Burundi - Research Intern in the NGO CONCERN, 2006 (3 months) – study on catch-up classes in primary education in a postconflict context.
  • Belgium, France & Portugal - Research Intern in popular education and gender equality with youth and feminist associations, 2003-2005 (2 years).
  • Studies:  article "Inequalities and youth emancipation: a global comparison" with Oxfam/University of Lleida (funding by the Catalan Government, 2024); report "International municipal cooperation in the Valencian Community" with the University of Valencia/FVS (funding by the Fons Valencià per la Solidaritat, 2022); report "Teaching global citizenship in formal education" with UPV (funding by the Spanish Development Agency AECID, 2011).
  • Scholarships: Leonardo in Belgium (6 months); EU volunteering in France (1 year); Eurodysée in Portugal (6 months).

 

TEACHING

  • 1st five-year term teaching certificate "quinquenio" by the Spanish government – 2020-2025. Results of evaluation "Docentia": excellent (200 points of 200). 
  • 2023-2024. Lecturer, University of València – teacher training, journalism/audiovisual comms, social work, sociology and politics, master in international development, postgraduate course in citizen participation
  • 2022-2023. Lecturer, University Jaume I of Castelló – teacher training, audiovisual communication
  • 2020-2022. Associate lecturer, University of Valencia – teacher training, social work, secondary school teacher training master
  • 2012. Assistant lecturer, IDS, Sussex University, UK – master in participation, masters in international development
  • 2008-2011 & 2020-2023. Assistant lecturer, Technical University of València – master in international development
  • Teaching/thesis interests: political sociology; activism and social change; international development and decoloniality; poverty and inequalities; sociolinguistics; sociology of education; sociology of communication.

 

Subjects taught and teaching methods
Tutorials
01/09/2026 - 29/01/2027
MARTES de 13:30 a 15:30 3D08-DESPATX 3D08-DESPATX FACULTAT DE CIÈNCIES SOCIALS
01/09/2026 - 29/01/2027
VIERNES de 13:30 a 15:30 3D08-DESPATX 3D08-DESPATX FACULTAT DE CIÈNCIES SOCIALS
Observations
Participate in the e-tutoring programme of the Universitat de València
Projects