Josep Maria Fradera i Barceló (born 1952) is a Spanish historian, professor of Contemporary History at the Pompeu Fabra University.

Specialised in the colonial system of the late Spanish Empire, he has also studied the history of Catalonia.

[1] An anti-francoist activist in his youth and member of the Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia (PSUC), Fradera began his college studies at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) in 1971.

[2] He earned a PhD from the UAB in 1983, reading a dissertation titled Crisi colonial i mercat interior, 1814-1837.

Les bases comercials de la indústria catalana moderna and supervised by Josep Fontana.