Speaker Bio

Valia Aranitou is a professor in the Department of Sociology at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, where she teaches Economic Sociology. She studied Economics and Social Sciences in Athens and Paris. In her doctoral dissertation, she examined the case of small traders in postwar Greece within the framework of social identity and political behavior. Her research interests include topics such as entrepreneurship and small businesses, social classes and social stratification, employers’ organizations, developments in labor relations, and, more specifically, new trends in retail trade. She has published books with major publishing houses in Greece and the United Kingdom, including: The Economics of Retailing: The Poly-transformation of a Traditional Sector (2024), Palgrave Macmillan;The Middle Class in Greece: Between Collapse and Resilience, Themélio, Athens;Social Dialogue and Business Associations, Savvalas, Athens;and Small Retail Trade in Greece in the Postwar Period, Papazisis. In addition, she has authored numerous articles in Greek, English, and French journals and edited volumes. She has also served as a member of several administrative and scientific boards. Furthermore, she is the Scientific Director of the Research Institute of Hellenic Commerce and SMEs, the institute of the Hellenic Confederation of Commerce and Entrepreneurship.