Paula Serafini

Dr. Paula Serafini is a Senior Lecturer in Creative and Cultural Industries and Programme Director of the MA Creative Industries and Arts Organisation at Queen Mary University of London (School of Business and Management). She holds a PhD in Social and Cultural Analysis from King’s College London, alongside an MA in Anthropology and Cultural Politics (Goldsmiths) and a BA in Art History and Arts Management (Universidad del Salvador, Argentina). Her research focuses on cultural politics, extractivism, socioecological transitions, and art activism, with a particular emphasis on Latin America. She is affiliated with multiple research centres, including Borderlines: Action Research Cluster in Creative and Cultural Economies and the Centre for Studies of Home.

Her work bridges academia and practice, including collaborations with cultural sector organizations and curatorial projects. Key publications include Creating Worlds Otherwise: Art, Collective Action and (Post)Extractivism (2022) and Performance Action: The Politics of Art Activism (2018). Her research has been funded by the British Academy and recognized with an honourable mention from the Latin American Studies Association (2023).

Dr. Serafini’s current projects include the MUTUA initiative exploring socioecological transitions through cultural production, and research on sovereignty in social movements. She advises on cultural policy and contributes to art projects addressing environmental justice and decolonial frameworks.