Dimitris Soudias

Dimitris Soudias is a political sociologist working at the intersection of politics, cultural economy, sociology and STS. His work investigates how concepts associated with societal transformation—such as solidarity, happiness, or solutions—are themselves undergoing significant changes under contemporary capitalism. Specifically, he explores how they are transformed and co-opted, shifting from acts of critique and resistance into instruments of governance and power. Dimitris was the principal investigator of ‘Welfare Visions 2.0: Future-Making Practices in the Social Economies of Athens and Berlin (WELFAIR)’, funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). The project explored how social entrepreneurs envision and shape the future of the economy and welfare provision. Building on this work, Dimitris is currently developing a new research agenda on problem-solving in experimental governance labs, with a focus on epistemic practices and future-making. He held research positions and fellowships at the University of Groningen, the University of Amsterdam, the London School of Economics, Universität Kassel, Philipps-Universität Marburg, and Freie Universität Berlin. He was a member of the theme group ‘The Politics of (De)familiarization’ at the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study, and previously served as Head of Library and Information at the Goethe-Institut Athens. Dimitris received his doctorate in political science from Philipps-Universität Marburg. He also holds a University Teaching Qualification from the University of Groningen, a Graduate Diploma in Middle East Studies from the American University in Cairo, and a Dipl. Pol. from Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg.