Petridou Elia

Elia Petridou is a Social Anthropologist and Permanent Assistant Professor at the Department of Social Anthropology, University of the Aegean. She specializes in material culture, focusing on clothing, body practices, and migration. Her academic journey includes a Business Administration degree from Athens University of Economics and Business, an MSc in Social Anthropology from the University of Edinburgh, and a PhD from University College London (2001).

Educational Background:

• PhD in Social Anthropology, UCL (2001)
• MSc in Social Anthropology, University of Edinburgh
• Bachelor’s in Business Administration, Athens University of Economics

Research Interests: Her work explores clothing-materiality relationships, migration, refugee crises, circular economy, and museum representation. Recent studies include refugee clothing circulation and upcycling initiatives. She co-ordinates the Department’s Erasmus program since 2009 and organizes the Lesvos Summer School on 'Cultures, Migrations, Borders' since 2012.

Professional Affiliations:

• Treasurer, Hellenic Society of Costume Design
• Member, ICOM (International Council of Museums)
• Fluency in English/Spanish/German, with knowledge of French and Arabic

Courses Taught: Courses include material culture, consumption studies, food anthropology, and gender studies at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Labs & Teams: Active in the Department’s Ethnography, History, and Family/Kinship Studies laboratories. Collaborates on EU-funded projects like 'Fabric of my Life' for refugee integration through craft.