Eleftheria Lekakis

Dr. Eleftheria Lekakis is an Associate Professor in Media & Communication at the School of Media, Arts and Humanities, University of Sussex. Her research focuses on the intersection of communication, promotional culture, and politics, with expertise in consumer activism, advertising, nationalism, and digital economies. She holds a BSc in Political Science (University of Crete), MSc in Media & Communications (LSE), and PhD (Goldsmiths College). She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and has held visiting roles at institutions including the Annenberg School (UPenn) and Universitat Pompeu Fabra.

Her research explores market-based political participation, anti-consumerism movements, and the role of digital media in activism. Key topics include fair trade, subvertising, and the entanglement of nationalism with consumer practices. She has supervised doctoral theses on humanitarian campaigns and market activism. Current teaching includes modules on advertising, promotional culture, and climate crisis communication.

Her book *Consumer Activism: Promotional Culture and Resistance* (2022) examines ethical consumption as a political tool, analyzing contradictions in corporate social responsibility and grassroots movements. She co-edited *Art, Law, Power* (2020), exploring intersections of art and legality. Her work appears in journals like *Marketing Theory*, *Social Movement Studies*, and *Journal of Consumer Culture*.

Awarded grants and fellowships, she actively reviews for journals including *International Journal of Communication* and advises on initiatives like the SCORAI Global Conference. Her impact includes media features on her research, such as a *Conversation Podcast* segment on subvertising during COP21 and a webinar on Brazilian-Portuguese platforms.