Yakov Lurie

Yakov is a PhD candidate at the University of Amsterdam, specializing in the anthropology of mobility and infrastructure. He has expertise and a keen interest in applied ethnography.

With a background in academia, art, and activism, Yakov has always sought to overcome the ‘lonely anthropologist’ and ‘text-centric’ biases. He believes in collaborative and applied ethnography, using mixed media approaches to make knowledge practical, accessible, and comprehensible to both studied communities and broader audiences. Yakov’s applied research includes developing research-based policies for urban renovation projects and NGOs, and collaborating with artists and activists. He is currently working closely with the Public Sociology Laboratory and the Hannah Arendt Research Center. In 2022, Yakov left Russia for political reasons and now resides in Germany, while remotely completing his PhD at the University of Amsterdam (UvA).