Tazuko van Berkel

Tazuko van Berkel is an Assistant Professor at Leiden University’s Centre for the Arts in Society, specializing in Ancient Greek literature, philosophy, and the history of economic thought. Her work bridges classical antiquity with modern interdisciplinary concerns, focusing on concepts like friendship, economic anthropology, and political theory.

Her research explores ancient Greek ideas on human nature and economics through projects like the NWO Vidi initiative From Homo Economicus to Political Animal and her monograph The Economics of Friendship. She collaborates on digital humanities projects such as the Protagoras of Abdera source edition and the Eudemus of Rhodes annotated fragments.

Notable awards include the NWO Veni (2013), NWO Vidi (2020), and Ammodo Science Award (2023). Her work spans teaching Classics at BA/MA levels and interdisciplinary projects addressing modern socio-economic issues through classical frameworks.