Antonis Vradis

Dr Antonis Vradis

Small Group Project 2022-23

Decolonising the City (DtC): co-designing a participatory arts-based research toolkit with migrant communities in Athens, Greece

Recent calls to decolonise academic knowledge agree that this has been too insular and inward-looking, and needs to be co-produced with the communities it addresses, in ways that are inclusive, relevant and useful to them. Meanwhile, in the urban realm, recent migration means the previously largely uncontested idea of “urban belonging” is changing rapidly. In this moment of dual transition, migrants settle in European cities while receiving societies are faced with the legacies of their own colonial past.

More information

Research outcomes

Papoutsi, A., & Vradis, A. (2026).

Ephemeral lives versus colonial afterlives: Building decolonial urbanisms through two African culture festivals in Athens. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 51(3).

Areas of interest

Geography Migration Cities

Cohort

FG8

Biography

Dr Antonis Vradis is a Reader in the School of Geography and Sustainable Development at the University of St Andrews. A geographer with an urban focus, a migration inclination, and a political engagement with contemporary crises, his research explores how cities and their often transient populations face up to the polycrises of our times. He has worked on a range of projects in this space, including EnJUSTICE, Decolonising the City, CUPP, Transcapes, PURSI, Nutricities, and the Welcoming City. In 2021 he co-founded the Radical Urban Lab with Dr Vanessa Schofield (University of Leeds), which he co-directs. The Lab pursues collective research into alternative urban practices, with a focus on equity, solidarity, and decolonial perspectives, convening workshops, curating public exhibitions, and publishing open-access reports to foster collaborative, actionable scholarship.

Biographical details correct as of 06.07.26