Lilie Chouliaraki

Professor Lilie Chouliaraki is the Chair in Media and Communications and Director of the Doctoral Programme at the Department of Media and Communications, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). She holds an honorary professorship at Copenhagen Business School and has been a visiting professor at institutions such as CELSA-Sorbonne, Paris, and Yale University. Her research focuses on humanitarian communication, media ethics, and the representation of suffering, with a recent emphasis on the weaponization of victimhood in digital and populist contexts.

Chouliaraki’s academic journey includes a BA from the School of Philosophy at the University of Athens, followed by an MA and PhD in Linguistics from Lancaster University. Her interdisciplinary work integrates social theory, semiotics, and discourse analysis to explore how media shape ethical and political relationships with global vulnerable populations.

Research & Awards
Her groundbreaking book Wronged: The Weaponization of Victimhood (2024) examines how victimhood narratives are strategically deployed by privileged groups. She has received prestigious awards including the ICA Fellow distinction (2020) and multiple ICA awards for her publications (2014, 2015, 2023). Her work has been translated into multiple languages and funded by research councils in Greece, Denmark, and the Netherlands.

Professional Contributions
Chouliaraki has contributed to LSE committees, the Marshall Institute for Philanthropy, and the Women, Peace, and Security Centre. She is a member of the AHRC Peer Review College and has authored influential texts like The Ironic Spectator (2012) and The Spectatorship of Suffering (2006). Her research spans conflict journalism, digital media’s role in migration crises, and the intersection of emotion, capitalism, and political discourse.