About infra-demos
infra-demos: Socio-Technological Innovation, Infrastructural Participation and Democracy is an anthropological project that studies the relationships between infrastructures and innovative socio-technological forms of participation arising within the infrastructural gap (IG). infra-demos investigates the social dynamics and assesses the capacities – and theoretical potentials – of such activities towards building societal resilience and transformative policies. Focusing empirically on Greece, it aims to extend the theoretical findings beyond the case.
IG emerged in the West after the political, social, economic ruptures of the 2008 crisis and refers to the difficulty of the State and private sector to sustain infrastructural networks. In 2015, the Global Economic Forum and Financial Times raised warnings about IG within G20 countries. While IG has affected the totality of infrastructural development, the most apparent results are in soft infrastructures (public services and welfare), related to a crisis of social reproduction.
In Europe, infrastructures are the realm wherein the state and the market materialise the majority of the democratic social contract. Citizens therefore experience IG as a challenge of the entire political paradigm. Governments now promote notions of 'Participatory Society’ (NL) or 'Big Society' (UK) in response to this crisis. Yet, on a practical and theoretical level, infrastructures lie at the core of the debate.
Greece is at the centre of the current Euro-crisis, giving rise to novel and innovative forms of civil activity focused on IG. The application of self-management and peer-to-peer practices — inspired by the commons and economic solidarity — and by using digital and other technological innovations, allow new crisis-resilient socio-technological systems to emerge.
We seek to explain the relationship between IG and novel forms of civil participation. infra-demos will apply both qualitative and quantitative research methods, including digital and traditional ethnography, the compilation of datasets, and application-oriented participant research. The overarching aim is to provide empirical material for innovative policies and social action by theorising the redefinition of infrastructures, democracy and society within the ongoing shifts in Europe.
infra-demos is a 5 years project having begun in September 2017. It is funded through a VIDI Innovative Research Talent grant of the Dutch Organisation of Scientific Research (NWO) and it is hosted by the Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology at Vrije University Amsterdam.
IG emerged in the West after the political, social, economic ruptures of the 2008 crisis and refers to the difficulty of the State and private sector to sustain infrastructural networks. In 2015, the Global Economic Forum and Financial Times raised warnings about IG within G20 countries. While IG has affected the totality of infrastructural development, the most apparent results are in soft infrastructures (public services and welfare), related to a crisis of social reproduction.
In Europe, infrastructures are the realm wherein the state and the market materialise the majority of the democratic social contract. Citizens therefore experience IG as a challenge of the entire political paradigm. Governments now promote notions of 'Participatory Society’ (NL) or 'Big Society' (UK) in response to this crisis. Yet, on a practical and theoretical level, infrastructures lie at the core of the debate.
Greece is at the centre of the current Euro-crisis, giving rise to novel and innovative forms of civil activity focused on IG. The application of self-management and peer-to-peer practices — inspired by the commons and economic solidarity — and by using digital and other technological innovations, allow new crisis-resilient socio-technological systems to emerge.
We seek to explain the relationship between IG and novel forms of civil participation. infra-demos will apply both qualitative and quantitative research methods, including digital and traditional ethnography, the compilation of datasets, and application-oriented participant research. The overarching aim is to provide empirical material for innovative policies and social action by theorising the redefinition of infrastructures, democracy and society within the ongoing shifts in Europe.
infra-demos is a 5 years project having begun in September 2017. It is funded through a VIDI Innovative Research Talent grant of the Dutch Organisation of Scientific Research (NWO) and it is hosted by the Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology at Vrije University Amsterdam.
The infra-demos team
Dimitris Dalakoglou
Dimitris is the Principal Investigator and director of infra-demos. He is the Professor of Social Anthropology at Vrije University Amsterdam. He holds a PhD in Material Culture from UCL (2009). His books include Crisis-scapes: An ethnography of the spatialities of European Crisis (2019). Critical Times in Greece (2018), The Road (2017), Crisis-scapes (2014), Roads and Anthropology (2014, 2012) and Revolt and Crisis in Greece (2011). He was also an associate and advisory editor of the International Encyclopedia of Revolution and Protest. In 2017 he was awarded a VIDI Innovative Research Talent Grant from the Dutch Scientific Organisation for the project infra-demos and in 2012 he was awarded an ESRC Future Research Leaders grant for his project Crisis-scapes. He is disciplinary editor for anthropology at the journal City.
Yannis Kallianos
Yannis is the postdoctoral researcher of the Infra-demos project. He is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology at Vrije University Amsterdam. He obtained his PhD in social anthropology from the University of St Andrews. His work has focused on the relationship between (de)legitimation, social contestation and political imagination in Greece. His research interests also explore the politics of public space, waste and infrastructure in Athens.
Christos Giovanopoulos
Christos is PhD researcher of infra-demos. He is a PhD candidate in Social and Cultural Anthropology at Vrije University Amsterdam. He holds an MA from the University of Westminster, London, where he taught Media and Critical Theory as a visiting lecturer. Among other publications he has edited the books Democracy Under Construction: from the street to the squares and Loaded Cameras: Cinema and ’68.
Ioannis Athanasiadis
Ioannis is helping infra-demos to develop its quantitative datasets and its utilisation digital tools. He is Assistant Professor at the Information Technology group of Wageningen University. He teaches Data Management, Models for ecological systems and Software engineering. His research interests are about ecoinformatics, intelligent information systems, decision support systems, knowledge engineering, metadata and ontologies and machine learning. Since 2010, he serves as an Editor of Environmental Modelling and Software.
Dimitris is the Principal Investigator and director of infra-demos. He is the Professor of Social Anthropology at Vrije University Amsterdam. He holds a PhD in Material Culture from UCL (2009). His books include Crisis-scapes: An ethnography of the spatialities of European Crisis (2019). Critical Times in Greece (2018), The Road (2017), Crisis-scapes (2014), Roads and Anthropology (2014, 2012) and Revolt and Crisis in Greece (2011). He was also an associate and advisory editor of the International Encyclopedia of Revolution and Protest. In 2017 he was awarded a VIDI Innovative Research Talent Grant from the Dutch Scientific Organisation for the project infra-demos and in 2012 he was awarded an ESRC Future Research Leaders grant for his project Crisis-scapes. He is disciplinary editor for anthropology at the journal City.
Yannis Kallianos
Yannis is the postdoctoral researcher of the Infra-demos project. He is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology at Vrije University Amsterdam. He obtained his PhD in social anthropology from the University of St Andrews. His work has focused on the relationship between (de)legitimation, social contestation and political imagination in Greece. His research interests also explore the politics of public space, waste and infrastructure in Athens.
Christos Giovanopoulos
Christos is PhD researcher of infra-demos. He is a PhD candidate in Social and Cultural Anthropology at Vrije University Amsterdam. He holds an MA from the University of Westminster, London, where he taught Media and Critical Theory as a visiting lecturer. Among other publications he has edited the books Democracy Under Construction: from the street to the squares and Loaded Cameras: Cinema and ’68.
Ioannis Athanasiadis
Ioannis is helping infra-demos to develop its quantitative datasets and its utilisation digital tools. He is Assistant Professor at the Information Technology group of Wageningen University. He teaches Data Management, Models for ecological systems and Software engineering. His research interests are about ecoinformatics, intelligent information systems, decision support systems, knowledge engineering, metadata and ontologies and machine learning. Since 2010, he serves as an Editor of Environmental Modelling and Software.
