Biography
Annaliese Milano Merfield is an anthropologist whose research concerns two of the largest cryptocurrency communities—Bitcoin and Ethereum—and the blockchain technologies they have developed. She holds a PhD in anthropology from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).
Her doctoral thesis, titled ‘The Social Layer: An Ethnography of Two Cryptocurrency Communities in the United States,’ is based on two years of ethnographic research conducted in New York City and online. The thesis argues that the Bitcoin and Ethereum communities are making important contributions to debates on economic and democratic governance in the United States. Likewise, it explores how these communities 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 is working to convert her thesis into a monograph. She continues to develop her doctoral research, preparing articles for publication, while also developing her next research project. Prior to completing her PhD, Annaliese received an MRes and MSc in anthropology from LSE. Her research interests include digital ethnography, decentralised communities, capitalism, digital finance, financial inclusion, governance, value, money, and memes.