Chris Houston

Chris Houston is a Professor at Macquarie University's School of Communication, Society and Culture, affiliated with the Housing and Urban Research Centre. He specializes in political anthropology, urban anthropology, and the anthropology of art. Previously, he taught at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. His research focuses on Turkish Republicanism, spatial politics, and phenomenological anthropology, particularly analyzing Istanbul's urban dynamics and the interplay of Islam, nationalism, and state control.

Research interests include the political repercussions of Turkish Republicanism, Kurdish questions, and the built environment's role in structuring social movements. He has conducted extensive fieldwork in Istanbul, exploring how space and architecture reflect political ideologies. Houston's work also addresses the phenomenological approach to understanding human engagement with material and cultural environments.

Notable projects include studies on urban activism in Istanbul during the 1970s-1980s, the legacy of military coups, and the anthropology of self-alteration. His publications span over three decades, addressing topics like revolutionary consciousness, spatial terror, and cultural memory. Houston organizes academic events such as the Macquarie University International Ethnographic Film Festival, fostering interdisciplinary dialogue. His research emphasizes critical engagements with state power, identity formation, and the materiality of political struggle.