Her father was a Karamanlides refugee from Cappadocia, and her mother was a native Greek from Thessaloniki.
In 1975, Anastasia Karakasidou began her studies in chemistry and later, in archeology and anthropology at Columbia University, United States.
She participated in an ethno-archaeological study of the Langadas area at the Archaeological Department of Thessaloniki University.
Between 1990 and 1991, she conducted studies on the Slavic-speaking population in the area of Northern Greece with title: "Fields of Wheat, Hills of Blood.
Additionally, Karakasidou and her family received threats for their lives by nationalist Greek circles and was even warned by the British Secret Intelligence Service for her safety.