Biography

Annaliese Milano Merfield is a PhD candidate in anthropology at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Her research concerns two of the largest cryptocurrency communities—Bitcoin and Ethereum—and the blockchain technologies they have developed.

Her doctoral thesis, titled ‘The Social Layer: An Ethnography of Two Cryptocurrency Communities’ is based on two years of ethnographic research conducted in New York City and online. The thesis addresses a variety of themes including community, financial inclusion, value, money, and memes. It argues that the Bitcoin and Ethereum communities are making important contributions to debates on economic governance in the United States. Likewise, it explores how they have undermined the state's role in mediating the value of money and the flow of capital, and created new strategies of accumulation in the pursuit of ‘generational wealth’.

As a Max Weber Fellow, Annaliese will continue to develop her doctoral research, converting her thesis into a monograph while also preparing articles for publication. Prior to starting her PhD, Annaliese received an MRes and MSc in anthropology from LSE.

Research projects, clusters and working groups

• Expert Knowledge and Authority in Transformative Times
• Finance and society
• Digital transformations and society

Mentor

• Erik Jones

Mentor

• Giacomo Calzolari

Mentor

• Pier Luigi Parcu