Martin Kanoushev

Prof. Martin Kanoushev (b. 1966) is a full Professor at the Department of Philosophy and Sociology, New Bulgarian University, Sofia. He earned his PhD in Sociology (2000) and habilitation (2007) at the Institute for Sociology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, with research focusing on penal power, biopolitics, post-socialist transformation, and authoritarian propaganda.

• PhD in Sociology (2000), Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
• Habilitation (2007), Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
• Professor (2018), New Bulgarian University

His research explores intersections between legal institutions, social control, and political discourse, with fieldwork in penal systems, refugee trajectories, and media propaganda. Publications include comparative analyses of totalitarian and anti-democratic regimes, forensic genetics, and biopolitical governance.

Recent scientific awards:

• Nominated for Pythagoras Award (2016) for "Historical Sociology of Penal Policies in Bulgaria"

As a peer reviewer and editorial board member (2008–2009), he shaped academic discourse in journals like Critique and Humanism. Active in post-communist legal sociology and critical theory, his work bridges institutional analysis with philosophical reflection.