Myrto is a social researcher and photographer. Her research focuses on the interface between migration, urbanism, and culture. She specialises in visual, spatial and interdisciplinary methodologies. 

Past work explores the impact of migration on societal changes through an empirical investigation of cosmopolitan theory. Current projects focus on street politics, landscapes of belonging, and the new aesthetics of crisis in Southern Europe. One strand of her research explores the notion of ‘democracy’ and ‘civil society’ in the face of extreme austerity; in particular the transformative power of the multitude in relation to the concepts of solidarity, belonging, and citizenship. A second strand considers the dynamics of migration and the untold stories of marginal subjectivities.

Myrto is also concerned with the dynamics of inclusion, participation and well-being achieved through art-based interventions. Her focus is on the relationship between arts and social change, exemplified in her on-going projects with the organisation ‘Ministry of Untold Stories’. 

Qualifications

•        2012 DPhil in Social and Political Thought, University of Sussex

•        2007 MA in Critical Global Studies, University of Exeter

•        2005 BA in Economic and Regional Development, Panteion University

•        Urban Sociology

•        Visual Sociology

•        Sociology of Migration

•        Cosmopolitan Theory

•        Sociology of Everyday Life

•        Sociology and Performance

•        Social Movements, Protests and Crisis

•        Art and the Urban

•        Art and Social Change

Sociology

IS1201 Researching East London (2012-2013)

IS2225 Gender Studies (2012-2013)

and Guest Lectures

Edited volume

‘Remapping ‘Crisis’: A Guide to Athens’ (2013), London: Zero Books (with Walsh, A.).

 Journal Articles

 ‘Picturing Crisis: A critical reflection on methods in visual sociology’ (2013), in Graduate Journal of Social Sciences. (March 2013)

 ‘Performances ‘in Crisis’: What Happens When a City Goes Soft?’ (2012), in City: analysis of urban trends, culture, theory, policy, action. Vol. 16(5), pp. 546-556.

 ‘Merry Crisis-mas from Greece’ (2012), Photo-essay in City, analysis of urban trends, culture, theory, policy, action. Vol. 16(1-2), pp. 249-252.

 ‘Disappearing Immigrants: Hunger Strike and Invisible Struggles’ (2012), in Journal of Theory in Action. Vol. 5 (2) (with Aylwyn Walsh).

 ‘Painting Human Rights: Mapping Street Art in Athens’ (2011), Special Amnesty International Issue on Human Rights in Journal of Arts and Communities, Vol. 2(2), pp. 111-122 (with Aylwyn Walsh).

 Chapters in Edited Volumes

‘See the writing on the wall: Urban poetics and street art’ (2013) in Borriello, L. & Ruggiero, C. (eds) Inopinatum: Urban Creativity. Rome: Artigrafiche boccia.

 ‘Mobilities of Illicit Markets: Trolleys, Rickshaws and Yiusurum’ (2013), in Zaroulia, M. & Hager, P. (eds) Inside/Outside Europe: Performances of Capitalism, Crises and Resistance, London: Palgrave Macmillan.

 ‘The New (B)orders of Crisis: Still Waiting for the Barbarians’ in Carastathis, A. & Chatzivasileiou, L. (eds) Under the Shade of an Olive Tree: Conversations on Greek Diaspora (2013).

 ‘The Revolution will not be Analysed’ in Tsilimpounidi, M. & Walsh, A (eds) Remapping ‘Crisis’: A Guide to Athens (2013), London: Zero Books.

Research Outputs: Performance

‘It’s a Beautiful Thing, the Destruction of Wor(l)ds’ for:

•        ‘Riot, Revolt, Revolution’ Annual Conference of CAPPE at University of Brighton, 8-10 Sep 2012.

•        ‘Making Connections’ Political Studies Association, Loughborough University, 3-5 Sep 2012.

•        Preoccupied: The Words, Wounds and Workings of Occupation, Berlin Biennale, 28-29 Jun 2012.

 Research Outputs: Solo exhibitions

‘Resistance as Urban Dialogue’, at ‘Riot, Revolt, Revolution’ Annual Conference of CAPPE at University of Brighton. Exhibition open between 1-10 Sep 2012.

 ‘Ministry of Untold Stories’ (2012) at ‘PICS Festival: Photographic Images Changing Society’ Hub Westminster, London. 19 May 2012.

 ‘Re-inscribing the City’, at ‘The City: Analyzing Contemporary Transformations and Structures’ Conference, Bielefeld, Germany. 8-9 Mar 2012.

 ‘Visual Dialogues in the Urban Landscape: Athens’, at North Edinburgh Arts, in Partnership with Amnesty International. Exhibition open between Sep-Oct 2011. Funding Received: Small Project Development Grant (£1200).

Writing Projects

Regular Contributor for ‘Urban Vignettes’ on Athens, project by cities@lse, Jun to Aug 2012.

•        Associate Editor, Western Europe regional board of the European Social Movements

          Network,    Nov 2010 – present.

•        Regional editor of the journal Interface, from Nov 2010 – present.

•        Member European Festival Research Project, from 2009 – present.

•        Member of Inopinatum Centre on Urban Creativity, Roma Tre University, from June 2012 - present.

•        Member of International Network on Writing Art Research and Development (INWARD), from June 2012 -          present.

•        Affiliated member of the Greek Politics Specialist Group, Mar 2012 – present.