About Alex Pillen

Alex Pillen is an anthropologist and associate professor, specialising in the anthropology of language. Her contributions to academia encompass a range of topics, including the sociocultural dimensions of language, linguistic creativity, the role of global English as a tool for translation, and the translation of trauma in non-Western cultures, all of which are evident in her published works.


In her capacity as an anthropologist, she conducts cross-cultural research on trauma, with a particular focus on societies across the globe grappling with traumatic events, such as genocide, mass violence, global conflict, and civil war. Her work involves a critical examination of how anthropologists and scholars from various fields conceptualise and define trauma. This contributes to ongoing discussions concerning trauma in non-Western contexts and enriches anthropological approaches to this subject.


Additionally, Pillen is currently preparing a forthcoming book that explores the concept of an anthropology of language and its analytical methods.