Dr Luna Glucksberg

Luna Glucksberg is an urban anthropologist looking at inequality and socio-economic stratification in contemporary society. She has worked extensively on elites and how they reproduce; on the roles of women and family offices in the reproduction of dynastic families; and on how philanthropy can be used by elites to strengthen their own family dynamics.

She is currently leading an international project aiming to challenge the rise in wealth inequality by collecting and examining examples of communities that have successfully resisted the processes that funnel wealth up and away from them. Where and when, how and why, have groups been able to stand up against the systems and patterns that systematically extract wealth from their local communities? How have they managed to reverse them? What can be learned from these examples? How do we apply those lessons in other locations, under different conditions?

The project will bring together a review of documented practices that have successfully challenged neoliberal models of accumulation and dispossession, including co-operative models, local wealth building strategies, housing cooperatives and examples of UBI (Universal Basic Income). It will then develop four in-depth ethnographic case studies of examples of successful practices, of realities that have managed to successfully deviate, and challenge, the dominant narrative of wealth extraction..

Prior to joining the LSE III, Luna gained her degree from UCL and PhD from Goldsmiths, University of London. She then joined the Centre for Urban and Community Research (CUCR) as a Research Associate at Goldsmiths, where she maintains a Fellowship. She sits on the Advisory Board for Transparency International (TI) UK and has contributed to both blogs and national newspaper articles on issues related to the elites.