Mr Richard Arghiris

I am a doctoral research student in Geography, funded by the Grand Union Doctoral Training Partnership (ESRC). My supervisors are Nick Bingham and Marion Ernwein. I hold a BA in Environmental Studies from the Open University and an MSc in Ethnobiology from the University of Kent.

My professional background is in writing and journalism. I have worked as a travel writer since 2006 and have contributed to more than two dozen guidebooks on Mexico and Central America. I have also written extensively about Panama’s Indigenous Ngäbe communities and continue to advocate for their human rights. A lifelong traveller, I have lived and worked in several countries, including the Netherlands, Panama, Nicaragua, and Mexico.

Research interests

My doctoral research explores more-than-human geographies of stingless beekeeping, as practised by the Maya of the Yucatán Peninsula for more than 3,000 years. I am interested in how stingless bees (meliponines) and their Indigenous keepers connect and sustain their lifeworlds through affective and sensory encounters. My methods combine immersive ethnography with creative techniques to capture the lively attributes of people–pollinator relations. In practice, I utilise macrophotography, photogrammetry, creative writing, and soundscape composition to engage with insect microcosms.