Valia S. Aranitou, is an Associate Professor at the Department of Political Science of the University of Crete, Greece where she teaches political sociology and political economy. She studied in Athens and in Paris. In her doctoral thesis, she explored the case of small traders in post-war Greece within the context of social identity and political behavior. Her research interests include social classes and social structure, organized interests and their role in the political system, recent developments in labour relations and the economic prerequisites of Democracy and Greek economy.