My name is Martha Arvanitidou and I’m currently doing my Master’s in Cognitive Science at the Department of Cognitive Science, University of Malta. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Languages and Intercultural Studies from the University of Thessaly. Greek is my native language, and I also speak English and French. During my undergraduate studies, I had the opportunity to attend introductory courses in Arabic and Chinese.
During my undergraduate studies at the University of Thessaly, I joined the research group Linguistic Landscape Research Diaries, coordinated by our professor, Roula Kitsiou. As part of this group, I participated in the project APO KOINOU, where we carried out a pilot implementation of educational material with students at the Hosting Center for Unaccompanied Minors, operated by the NGO ARSIS in Volos. For a short period, I also took part in the project ACTinPRISON, again through the research group, conducting weekly visits to the Youth Detention Center of Kassavetia and implementing activities focused on linguistic and artistic literacies.
These projects gave me the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in intercultural communication and non-formal education, particularly in contexts involving refugees and migrants, as well as in linguistic, artistic and digital literacy. These experiences had a significant impact on me, both academically and personally and played a key role in my decision to pursue further studies.
In addition, living in a multicultural country like Malta and engaging daily with people from diverse cultural backgrounds further deepened my research sensitivity to intercultural issues.
My current research interests lie in the fields of psycholinguistics and social cognition, while sociolinguistics and intercultural education remain central to my identity as a researcher. What connects all of these areas is a strong intercultural perspective with a focus on vulnerable sociocultural groups.
I view the concept of the rhizome, as developed by Deleuze and Guattari (1980) and methodologically embedded in the Rhizo-eduscapes research project, as a way of thinking — a philosophical model that challenges the binary and hierarchical structures of Western thought. Instead, it offers a framework rooted in multiplicity, hybridity, and non-linear connections. This perspective reflects a dynamic understanding of reality, one that encompasses both processes of learning and the individual’s broader social trajectory.
Grounded in this approach, Rhizo-eduscapes is a research initiative focused on recognizing and meeting the educational needs of young refugee students in the Greek educational landscape.