Eleni Sideri

Eleni Sideri serves as Assistant Professor at the University of Macedonia's Department of Balkan, Slavic & Oriental Studies, with additional affiliation at the International Hellenic University's School of Humanities. Her academic trajectory spans over two decades of research focused on anthropological approaches to post-socialist societies, with particular emphasis on the Caucasus and Black Sea regions. Her work bridges theoretical anthropology with practical fieldwork across Eastern Europe and former Soviet territories.

Her educational background includes:

• PhD in Social Anthropology, School of Oriental and African Studies / University of London (2006)
• Masters Degree in Middle Eastern Studies, School of Oriental and African Studies / University of London (2002)
• Master of Arts in Language and Communication Sciences, AUTH (2000)
• Postgraduate in Social Anthropology, School of Oriental and African Studies / University of London (1997)
• Bachelor in French Language and Literature, School of Philosophy-AUTH (1996)
• Bachelor in Film Studies, School of Fine Arts-AUTH (2016)

Sideri's research interests center on diasporas, transnational migration, forms of mobility & immobility, tourism, language and storytelling, visual anthropology, cinema and anthropology, new technologies and digital expression, cities and globalization, European cultural policies, and the post-socialist world. Her work demonstrates particular expertise in the Black Sea and Caucasus regions, examining how historical legacies intersect with contemporary social transformations. She has developed innovative approaches to ethnographic methodology, especially regarding digital communication and visual representation.

Her publication record reveals a consistent evolution from foundational diaspora studies toward increasingly sophisticated explorations of mobility, identity, and post-socialist transformation. Recent work shows adaptation to contemporary challenges, including pandemic-era research on digital ethnography and social distancing. Her scholarship consistently bridges theoretical anthropology with practical fieldwork, particularly in the Black Sea region, demonstrating how local contexts connect to broader transnational frameworks.

Sideri teaches courses including Anthropological Thought and Social Theory, Anthropology of Migration and Diaspora Communities in SE Europe and the Near East, Comparative Issues in Gender and Cultural Diversity, Cultural Policies in the Countries of the Former Yugoslavia, Ethnographic Research, Audiovisual and Digital Culture, Ethnographies of Postsocialism, Political Anthropology in Eastern and SEE, and The Anthropology of Migration. Her teaching reflects her interdisciplinary approach, connecting anthropological theory with contemporary social issues.