Meghanne Barker

Meghanne Barker is affiliated with University College London (UCL), with previous roles including LSE Fellow in the Department of Media and Communications at the London School of Economics (LSE) and Collegiate Assistant Professor in Social Sciences at the University of Chicago. Her research focuses on media and semiotic anthropology, postsocialism, and childhood, particularly in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. She examines creative practices like puppet theatre, filmmaking, and children’s play to understand social and political dynamics in these regions.

Her doctoral work, completed at the University of Michigan in 2017, explored childhood and animation in Kazakhstan, leading to her forthcoming book Throw Your Voice: Suspended Animations in Kazakhstani Childhood. Ongoing projects include Building New Film Cities, studying media education’s role in community-building in post-Yugoslav contexts.

Barker’s articles analyze themes like Soviet children’s culture, semiotic theory, and Kazakhstani puppetry. Her work bridges anthropology, linguistics, and cultural studies. She speaks Croatian, French, Russian, Serbian, and Spanish, reflecting her interdisciplinary and transnational research scope.