Sotiria-Rita Koutsopetrou-Møller

Sotiria-Rita Koutsopetrou-Møller is a PhD Research Fellow in the Department of Religion, Philosophy and History at the University of Agder, Norway, conducting doctoral research since 2022 with prior research experience at the University of Bergen.

Her academic foundation includes a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Athens (2004), a Bachelor's degree in History (2017), and a Master's in Ancient History (2019), both from the University of Bergen.

Specializing in ancient and medieval history, her research critically examines sexual violence against women through comparative analysis of Greek and Roman legal frameworks using contemporary "rape myths" theory. This interdisciplinary approach bridges historical scholarship with modern gender studies and legal theory to expose enduring societal patterns of victim-blaming and institutional complicity.

Her 2021 publication "Rape Culture in Classical Athens?" exemplifies her methodological innovation in applying modern theoretical lenses to ancient legal contexts, revealing how antiquity's judicial systems normalized sexual violence through procedural barriers and evidentiary standards that persist in modern legal discourse.

She actively shapes academic discourse through courses on sexual violence in antiquity, ancient racism, and rape culture, while extending her expertise to public education via Norwegian media contributions on social issues and historical consciousness.