Spyros Spyrou

Spyros Spyrou is Professor of Anthropology/Sociology at European University Cyprus and Acting Deputy-Dean of the School of Humanities, Social and Education Sciences. Since 1999 he has held continuous academic appointments in Cyprus, advancing from Assistant to full Professor, and co-edits the journals Childhood and the Palgrave book series Studies in Childhood and Youth.

Education:

• Ph.D. Sociocultural Anthropology, 1999 – State University of New York at Binghamton
• M.A. Anthropology, 1995 – State University of New York at Binghamton
• B.S. Business Administration, 1991 – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

His research sits at the intersection of childhood studies, sociocultural anthropology and education, with sustained attention to how children negotiate identity, nationalism, borders and belonging in ethnically divided Cyprus and beyond. Recent work extends into environmental anthropology, exploring intergenerational knowledge transmission in coastal fishing communities and the implications of microbial ecologies for understanding childhood.

Across more than two decades his publications have traced the epistemic politics of childhood research, advocated participatory and ethically reflexive methodologies, and critically examined policy responses to racism, migration and social exclusion. A recurrent theme is the move from extractivist, adult-centric research paradigms toward reciprocal, ontologically attuned approaches that recognize children as knowledge producers and future-makers.

Editorial & Scientific Recognition:

• Co-editor, Childhood: A Journal of Global Child Research (2016-present)
• Co-editor, Palgrave Studies in Childhood and Youth book series (2016-present)
• Editorial Board member, Children & Society, Wheelock International Journal of Children, Families, and Social Change

He has coordinated or partnered in numerous EU-funded projects (Erasmus+, Daphne III, Research Promotion Foundation) addressing children’s rights, anti-racism education, young people’s participation in policy, and poverty in single-parent families. These grants have supported comparative, transnational studies and the production of good-practice guides for practitioners and policy-makers.

No specific laboratory or research centre is named, but his sustained project activity, editorial leadership and institutional role indicate an active scholarly collective engaged in critical childhood studies, ethnographic fieldwork, and policy-oriented dissemination within Cyprus and across Europe.