Claire Loussouarn

Claire Loussouarn is a researcher at Goldsmiths, University of London specializing in gambling anthropology and migration studies. Her work explores social change through gambling practices among Chinese diaspora communities in London, examining intersections of risk, time, and agency within casino environments and financial services.

Her educational foundation centers on a 2010 Goldsmiths doctoral thesis analyzing Chinese casino players' experiences. This research challenged conventional economic rationality frameworks by documenting how migrants create alternative temporalities through gambling.

Loussouarn's research program investigates gambling as both cultural practice and industrial product. She examines how Chinese migrants reinterpret migration journeys through casino gambling while simultaneously studying gambling production through ethnography in financial services firms. Her work reveals gambling's embeddedness within global capitalism rather than treating it as isolated leisure activity.

Her publication trends show consistent focus on gambling's socio-cultural dimensions across three phases: doctoral research on Chinese players (2010), co-edited methodology volume (2013), and ERC-funded industry ethnography (2014). The work consistently bridges micro-level player experiences with macro-level industry structures.

Loussouarn secured European Research Council funding (2011-2015) for collaborative gambling production research. This project involved multi-sited ethnography across London casinos, financial services firms, and international gambling hubs, demonstrating strong grant acquisition capabilities and interdisciplinary team leadership.

She maintains active research engagement through the Goldsmiths-based ERC project team, collaborating with anthropologists specializing in horse racing (Cassidy) and casino operations (Pisac). This interdisciplinary team combined academic research with industry insider perspectives through Pisac's professional croupier experience.