Dr. Coco Kanters

Lecturer
Liberal Arts and Sciences
Assistant Professor
Liberal Arts and Sciences
c.l.kanters@uu.nl

Coco Kanters is an assistant professor at the interdisciplinary program Liberal Arts and Sciences at Utrecht University. Trained as an anthropologist, she is interested in how the interactions between private enterprises and public institutions shape political and economic realities. She is currently fascinated by the role of consultancy expertise in policymaking, and ways to explore ethnographically how such expertise interacts with the expertise of civil servants, organisational cultures, and bureaucratic procedures within the Dutch government.  

Her NWO-funded (Talent Scheme) PhD, titled 'The Money Makers: The Institutionalisation of Alternative Currencies in North-West Europe', received cum laude at Leiden University. This work explores the institutionalisation and professionalisation of local currency advocates who fashion themselves as monetary experts and manage currency consultancy firms. The research focused on intersecting the anthropology of money and institutions with feminist economic theory and the politics of economies. Coco is working on a book manuscript based on this ethnography.

Her research is impact-driven and features in (inter)national news outlets, as well as podcasts and public talks. 

Aftermove Operatie Breinbreker 2023

Coco Kanters coordinates the Liberal Arts and Sciences program as well as the Honours program of the School Liberal Arts. She recently received the 2023 Honours Teacher of the Year Award. Students nominated Coco because she "actively creates a safe and supportive environment that encourages students to take on new challenges with the understanding that failure and learning from ones mistakes are essential to growth."