Dimitris Dalakoglou

Emaild.dalakoglouvunl

Personal information

Dimitris has been Full Professor at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam since 2015, where he holds the core departmental Chair of Social Anthropology and Sociology of Development and co-directs the laboratory on Infrastructures, Sustainability and Commons he also serves to the Steering Committee of Amsterdam Sustainability Institute.

He is an anthropologist of Europe with expertise on the Balkans, Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean. Since 2004 he has been developing a more global study of infrastructures (incl. labour) and democracy, first with the project 'An anthropology of the road', which was focused geographically on Albania and Eastern Europe. He later continued that line of research with the project infra-demos, which studied infrastructures and democracy and was funded by the Dutch Research Council (Vidi-Research Talent grant.) In 2023 he extended this line of research with a Stimulation grant from the Dutch Ministry of Education with his project Infrastructures, Sustainability and Commons: A Global Studies Perspective, see also Archeo-Commons.

In addition to his work on infrastructures, since 2008 he has been working on an anthropology of crisis, grassroots movements and the city, with the project crisis-scapes, which was funded by an ESRC-Future Research Leaders. He continues to work on themes of infrastructures, sustainability, commons, crises and democracy.

He has authored over 100 articles, book chapters and commentaries published since 2010. His books include: Skouries (2024), An anthropology of the Crisis (2024) Infrastructural Harm (2023), On the Road (2022), The Road (2017), Critical Times in Greece (2018), Crisis-scapes (2014), Roads and Anthropology, (2014, 2012) and Revolt and Crisis in Greece (2011).He was also an associate and advisory editor of the International Encyclopedia of Revolution and Protest.

He has co-produced and co-researched the documentaries: Colony, Wasting the West, Future Suspended, Politics of Knives, and Landscapes of Emergency, see also Athens Social Meltdown.

His work has been featured by international media in more than 10 countries. Whilst he has co-founded the 'Amsterdam Ethnographic Film Day' and the 'Amsterdam Anthropology Lecture Series'.

Previously he was Senior Lecturer at Sussex University (2009-2015) and Teaching Fellow at UCL (2007-2009). He has held visiting positions at Princeton University (2017-2018), CUNY Graduate Center (2013-2014), University College London (2008-2011) and Ca' Foscari University of Venice (2005-06). He was external examiner for UCL Bachelor in Anthropology (2010-2016). He is Research Fellow at the Center for the Study of Social and Humanitarian Crises of the department of Social Work of the University of Western Attica

He is in the editorial boards of the journals City (UK), Anthropology and Materialism (FR) and ANUAC Rivista (IT).

Books

See Dimitris' Personal Website

Research

Research Grants

2023-2026 Stimulation Grant for Infrastructure, Sustainability and Commons: A Global Studies perspective
- 2025-2026 Archeo-Commons
2017-2022 VIDI Innovative Research Grant for Infra-Demos
2017-2018 PRECARIAT: Deregulation of Labour Market in Greece of crisis
2012 - 2014:ESRC/Future Research Leaders grant for the project The City at a Time of Crisis: Tranformations of Public Spaces in Athens (crisis-cape.net)
2005 - 2006: Marie Curie Fellowship in Social History of Europe for the project Social Change, Material Culture and Migration: The Case of Albanian Migration to Greece and to Italy.
2004 - 2008: Hellenic Republic Fellowship (IKY ) for the PhD project An Anthropology of the Road.

PhD students

I currently supervise

Baris Esser, Catastrophising and Emergency rhetorics after the earthquacke in Turckey and Syria
Robert Dillema, Becoming in the calisthenic court: Ambition and expectations in South East Amsterdam
Christos Giovanopoulos, Solidarity and Emergence of new infrastructural networks.

In the past supervised:

2026 Giorgos SerdentakisFood, Cooking and Solidarity under Conditions of crisis
2025 Antonis Alexandridis Borders, Infrastructures, (im)mobility and Human Filtration
2023, Bahoz Aras, The Origins of post-authoritarian Federalism: Iraq 1992-2003. VU
2023, Tarryn Frankish, (Desmond Tutu grant funded) The ‘born-free generation’: Narrating memory in post-Apartheid South Africa.
2022, Elena Bonanini, From Syria to Brussels: Refugees Trajectories in Greece, VU
2017, Alexander Dunlap, Renewing Destruction: Green Energy and Land-Grabbing in Oaxaca, Mexico. VU
2016, Jacken Alfred Waters, (ESRC funded) Production of Urban Spaces and Protest in London Sussex University.
2015, Chet Fransch, (Desmond Tutu grant funded) Wood, carved by the knife of circumstance": Cape Rapists and Rape in South Africa, c. 1910-1980. VU
2025 Giorgos Poulimenakos'Commodity Chains and Ports: Chinese expansion in Pireaus Port, Greece' (Transferred to University of Oslo, 2025)
2026 Anna Giulia Della Puppa'Touristification processes and the socio-material effects of digital infrastructure in the city of Athens.' (Transferred to University of Rome

Ancillary activities

No ancillary activities

Ancillary activities are updated daily

Academic qualification

Social Anthropology, Material Culture, PhD, An Anthropology of the road, University of London, UCL

2004 → 2008

Award Date: 28 Feb 2009

Migration and Ethnic Studies, Master, Greek Resturants in Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam

2003 → 2004

Award Date: 17 Jul 2004

Social Anthropology and Social Policy , Bachelor, Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences

1999 → 2003

Award Date: 19 Jul 2003

Keywords

GN Anthropology
T Technology
H Social Sciences (General)
HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform
HX Socialism. Communism. Anarchism
HE Transportation and Communications
JN Political institutions (Europe)
G Geography (General)
GF Human ecology. Anthropogeography
DR Balkan Peninsula
DF Greece
JC Political theory
DE The Mediterranean Region. The Greco-Roman World
C Auxiliary Sciences of History
CC Archaeology
AM Museums (General). Collectors and collecting (General)

Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

SDG 1 No Poverty
SDG 4 Quality Education
SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy
SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth
SDG 9 Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities
SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities
SDG 13 Climate Action
SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
SDG 17 Partnerships for the Goals

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