Aleksandra Simonova

Aleksandra Simonova is a US-based anthropologist and filmmaker, currently serving as a Lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley's Department of Anthropology (Spring 2024) and previously as an Adjunct Professor at the University of San Francisco (Fall 2023). She holds a PhD in socio-cultural anthropology from UC Berkeley, following a BA in political studies and sociology from Moscow State University and an MA from the European University at St. Petersburg.

• Education:
• PhD: UC Berkeley (Socio-Cultural Anthropology)
• MA: European University at St. Petersburg
• BA: Moscow State University

Her research focuses on post-Soviet transformations, weaponization of history, and national identity in Russia and Crimea. She conducted extensive ethnographic fieldwork in Crimea, Ukraine, and Russia between 2017-2021, analyzing the socio-political impacts of the 2014 annexation and subsequent conflicts. Her work bridges anthropology, political studies, and media analysis, emphasizing performative aspects of state narratives and citizenship.

Her publications explore themes like Russian state biopolitics, opposition movements under Putinism, and innovation ecosystems in Moscow. Notable works include analyses of Crimea's cultural biopolitics (Russian Literature, 2023) and critiques of post-Soviet political ideologies (Dissent Magazine, 2022).

• Awards: None explicitly mentioned.

Simonova's teaching includes courses on anthropology through film and the past/future of war. She has assisted in UC Berkeley courses on utopian art, introductory anthropology, and modern power dynamics.