Urban Anthropology: Southern Europe

This entry reviews the contribution of anthropology to the study of cities in southern Europe, here delimited to the countries of Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece. Until the 1980s, local and foreign anthropologists working in the region largely focused their attention on rural and small urban settings. Pioneering research on major cities often grappled with what localities lacked vis-à-vis northern European cities and drew connections to non-urban Mediterranean contexts. For the most part, it was left to other social scientists to study the impact of rapid urbanization during the post-war period. Since the 1990s, anthropological research in southern European cities has grown exponentially and has explored a range of globally-relevant themes, from heritage making and international migration to economic restructuring. In recent years, an increasing number of studies has directly challenged northern-centric concepts and understandings of European cities and have thus contributed to broader critical-theoretical innovations within urban studies.