Rik Adriaans

Rik Adriaans serves as Lecturer in Media Anthropology at University College London's Department of Anthropology since 2021, with cross-appointment to the Institute of Education for the interdisciplinary Media BA program. His scholarly work bridges media anthropology, post-socialist studies, and digital ethnography with regional expertise in Armenia and its global diaspora.

His research explores media and mediation in transnational contexts, including Armenian diaspora networks connecting Los Angeles to post-Soviet Armenia, political dimensions of Armenian folk dance in protests, and contemporary debates on music and taste. Current projects include Patching Publics: A Digital Ethnography of Eurorack Modular Synthesis, examining analog-digital interweaving in music hardware, and collaborative meme studies analyzing Hungarian liberalism under illiberal regimes.

Adriaans' recent publications demonstrate strong thematic continuity in media anthropology, with 2022's The Meme Radar (co-authored with Annastiina Kallius) representing cutting-edge work on digital political expression. His scholarship consistently engages with questions of recognition, redistribution, and infrastructural promise in conflict-affected regions.

Teaching responsibilities include undergraduate modules Digital Cultures and Society (Year 1 Media BA) and Digital Practices in Society (Years 2-3), alongside previous instruction in Anthropology of Social Media and Digital Anthropology Practical. Prior academic appointments include visiting lectureships at Babeș-Bolyai University and Budapest's ELTE Eötvös József Collegium.