Marianna Karakoulaki

Marianna Karakoulaki For media enquiries please contact the Press Team
Lecturer
Faculty:
Faculty of Arts, Humanities, Education and Social Sciences
School:
Humanities and Social Sciences
Location:
Cambridge
Areas of Expertise:
Migration (human) , Politics and international relations , Social science and humanities , Sociology , Gender
Courses taught:

Marianna’s research is situated in critical border studies. Her research focuses on border violence, death and forced migration. She uses ethnography to examine the shifting nature of borders.

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Background

Marianna joined ARU in 2024 as a Lecturer in Sociology and teaches courses on critical social thought, nationalism, migration, intoxication, and the environment. She is a final year PhD researcher at the University of Birmingham (part-time, thesis awaiting status).

She is also an award-winning journalist and photojournalist who has been covering migration related issues for over a decade. She has won several awards including the Royal Television Society Award and the Foreign Press Association award for her work with Channel 4 News/ITN, and the third prize of the Migration Media Awards for her work with Deutsche Welle.

Spoken Languages
  • Greek
  • English
Research interests
  • Critical Border Studies
  • Death Studies
  • Migration
  • Visual Ethnography
  • Intersectionality
  • Misinformation / Disinformation
  • International Political Sociology
Teaching

Marianna currently teaches on the following modules:

  • Critical Social Thought (BA)
  • Mobilities and Migration (BA)
  • Environment, Nature and Society (BA)
  • Intoxicants and Intoxication (BA)
  • Nationalisms, Diasporas, Identities (MA)
Qualifications
  • PhD Political Science and International Studies, University of Birmingham (2019 – ongoing) [Part-time – current status: thesis awaited]
  • MA International Relations (Security), University of Birmingham (2011-2012)
  • BA Mediterranean Studies (International Relations with minors in Archaeology and Linguistics), University of the Aegean, Greece (2006-2011)
Memberships, editorial boards
  • Academic Affiliations: Member of British International Studies Association (BISA)
  • Editorial Boards: E-International Relations (Director of Editorial Board and Articles Editor)
  • Journalism: Member of National Union of Journalists (NUJ)
Selected recent publications

Books and Book Chapters:

Karakoulaki, M. (2020), Abortion and the Law, in F. Bernat and K. Frailing (eds), Encyclopaedia of Women and Crime, Wiley.

Karakoulaki, M. (2018) Europe’s Barbwire Fences. Reflections on Reporting the Refugee Crisis in Greece. In M. Karakoulaki, L. Southgate, and J. Steiner, Critical Perspectives on Migration in the 21st Century, E-IR Publishing.

Karakoulaki, M., Southgate L. and Steiner J. (eds) (2018), Critical Perspectives on Migration in the 21st Century, E-IR Publishing.

Reports:

Karakoulaki, M. and Dessi, G. (2021), Antisemitism and Anti-Vax Discourse in Europe. A Report on Conspiracy Ideologies and anti-Jewish hatred on Facebook and Twitter. Media Diversity Institute.

Karakoulaki, M. (2019), Cyprus: Towards an Asylum Crisis, PRIO Cyprus Centre, Policy Brief 1. Nicosia: PRIO Cyprus Centre.

Recent presentations and conferences

Karakoulaki, M. (2024), ‘The Visuals of Death: Researching the Greek Migratory Landscape’, BISA 48th Conference, Birmingham, (UK), 18-20 June 2024.

Karakoulaki, M. (2022), ‘A Political Thanatos: Migratory Deaths in the Greek Borderlands’, Thanatic Ethics International Conference, ‘Bodies on the Edge: Life and Death in Migration, Maison Française of Oxford, Oxford, (UK), 20-30 April 2022.

Karakoulaki, M. (2021), ‘Journalism and Vulnerable Communities: Lessons from Reporting Refugees’ Stories’, ‘Communities in Europe: Between Continuity and Transition’, Graduate Centre for Europe: 15th Annual Conference, University of Birmingham, May 2021.

Karakoulaki, M. (2020), ‘Migrant Solidarities and Resistance in Greece’s Refugee Camps, Graduate Centre for Europe: 14th Annual Conference, University of Birmingham, ‘Voices of Change: Presents, Pasts and Futures of Activism and Protest in Europe’’, May 2020.

Karakoulaki, M. (2019) ‘Violent Hotspots: Everyday violence in the refugee camp of Moria’, MR-Dargana, Linkoping, (Sweden), 15 November 2019.

Media experience

Marianna has a large media experience and she often contributes to news programmes on issues related to migration, European migration policies, the rise of the far right and nationalism in Europe, and Greek politics.