Dr. Dimitris Antoniou

Biography

Dimitris Antoniou is a lecturer in Hellenic Studies and Classics at Columbia University. He holds a D.Phil. from the University of Oxford, obtained in 2011. His academic background encompasses theology studied at the University of Athens, anthropology at Princeton, and oriental studies at Oxford. Serving as the Associate Director of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Public Humanities Initiative, Dimitris engages with various aspects of public history and contemporary societal challenges in Greece. His research utilizes anthropological and historical perspectives to investigate the operations of the state and public history in Greece, particularly focusing on unrealized governmental initiatives and failed architectural projects. His forthcoming monograph, "Why Build a Mosque? Islam, Political Cost, and the Practice of Democracy in Greece", published by the University of Pennsylvania Press in 2025, scrutinizes the state's shortcomings in constructing a mosque and presents ethnographic studies of Athens' Church Savior, reflecting on the spatial and historical implications of Greece’s dictatorial past. Additionally, Dimitris is a curator at Columbia University Libraries, overseeing special collections related to Greek underground zines and press.

Research Interests

Experience