My research is carried out within the field of Cultural Semiotics, Gender Studies, Memory and Trauma Studies. Specifically, I work on media and cultural representations and practices of gender and intersectionality, that is on the production and interpretation of contemporary forms of subjectivity. Within the broad field of Memory Studies, I have focused my research on the genres of testimony, post-conflict representations, and of the spaces and temporalities underlining the construction and reconstruction of collective and cultural memories.
Education
I graduated in DAMS (Disciplines of the Arts, Music and Theatre) at the Faculty of Letters and Philosophy of the University of Bologna in 1992, and I have obtained a PhD in Semiotics at the same University in 1996. During my doctorate, I was awarded a semester scholarship at Brown University, Providence, R.I., USA.
Academic qualifications and appointments
After a two years post-doctoral fellowship, and a threeyears research fellowship awarded by the Department of Communication Studies of the University of Bologna, and some years as an adjoint professor in Philosophy of Language and Semiotics at the University of Ferrara and at the University of Bologna, in 2004 I became a Lecturer of Philosophy and Theory of Languages (M-FOL/05), a life-tenure appointment at the Department of Communication Studies of the University of Bologna. In 2010, I obtained the suitability for an evaluation to the post of Associate Professor in M-FIL/05, and from January 2012 I am an Associate professor at the University of Bologna. Until June 2021 I was a member of the Department of Philosophy and Communication Studies - FILCOM, and I have now moved to the Department of the Arts - DAR. Since December 2022, I am Full Professor of Semiotics.
I am the Rector's delegate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.
Teaching activities
Since 2004 I have continuously taught numerous courses for the bachelor programme in Communication Sciences, and for the two years Master course in Semiotics of the Department of Philosophy and Communication Studies. Moreover, I have been in charge first of the course on Media and conflict, and then of the module Russian and Soviet Cinema of the Master Programme MIREES- Interdisciplinary Research and Studies on Eastern Europe of the School of Political Sciences (Forlì Campus).
Currently, I teach Semiotics of conflict (in English) and Semiotica delle scienze sociali (Semiotics of social sciences – in Italian) for the Master course in Semiotics; Gender studies (in Italian) and Analisi delle serie TV (Analysis of TV Series – in Italian) for the bachelor programme in Communication Sciences of the University of Bologna.
Research projects and activities (selected)
I participated in various national and international research projects, such as:
L’analisi dell’immagine femminile e della distribuzione dei ruoli di genere nella programmazione RAI, a project coordinated between 1999 and 2000 by the Libera Università di Comunicazione e Spettacolo I.U.L.M (Milan), funded by RAI, Radio Televisione Italiana.
“Portico” - Iniziativa Comunitaria EQUAL a project coordinated by “Orlando”, the Centro di Documentazione delle Donne di Bologna on “Women in the Network Society - ICT” (2002/2004).
Le passioni nei conflitti interculturali (funded by the University of Bologna in 2006).
Diaspora and cultural transfer, an interdisciplinary research project coordinated by the Centre for the Study of Post-conflict Cultures of the University of Nottingham (UK) and funded by the British Academy for Arts (2007/2008).
Progetto Farb (Finanziamento di Ateneo alla Ricerca di Base 2013/2015) on Smart cities, socio-cultural capital and cultural heritage, in collaboration with the Catholic University of Sao Paulo (Brazil).
FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IRSES project MEMOSUR -A Lesson for Europe: Memory, Trauma and Reconciliation in Chile and Argentina, in collaboration with the Universidad Nacional de Cordoba (Argentina), the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, and the University of Nottingham (2014/2017).
H2020-MSCA-RISE-2017 project SPEME- Questioning Traumatic Heritage: Spaces of Memory in Europe, Argentina, Colombia, in collaboration with the University of Amsterdam, UBA – University of Buenos Aires and the National University of Colombia.
I have been a visiting researcher in numerous universities.
In 2003, I was awarded a Leverhulme Research Fellowship, and I have spent a full academic year at the School of Modern Languages of the University of Nottingham, working on a project on “Post-conflict cultures”.
In 2010 I have been a Visiting Research Fellow at the Catholic University of Chile (Santiago), Department of Performance Studies, where I have worked on “El teatro téstimonial”.
In 2012 I was a Visiting Research Fellow of the Institute of Advanced Studies of the University of London (February-March). In the fall of the same year, I was a Visiting Professor at the la Facultad de Ciencias Sociales of the UBA – University of Buenos Aires.
In November 2019 I was a Visiting Professor at the University of Amsterdam - School for Heritage, Memory and Material Culture.
Since 2010 I have been a member of TraMe, a research centre on Memories and Cultural Traumas, based at FILCOM – Unibo. I directed the centre from November 2019 up until June 2021.
Since 2015, together with Tomas Albaladejo (Universidad Autonoma de Madrid), I am research coordinator of the International Consortium for the Study of Post-conflict Societies based at the University of Coimbra.
I am a referee for many international and Italian scientific journal in the fields of Philosophy and Theories of Languages, Semiotics and Cultural Studies.
From 2016 I have been an external evaluator for the award of research grants by FIAS - French Institutes for Advanced Study Fellowships Programme, and by EURIAS - European Institutes for Advanced Study Fellowship Programme, both supported by the European Commission.
From 2018 up until the end of 2021 I am a special consultant of the research project De-Othering, hosted by the Centre for Social Studies of the University of Coimbra and funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology.
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Academic appointments
From July 2015 to October 31st, 2021, I am the coordinator of the two years Master in Semiotics.
From 2000 up until 2014 I have been the appointed coordinator of scientific activities of the Scuola Superiore di Studi Umanistici of the University of Bologna, then presided by Umberto Eco. During those years, I have participated in the organization of nineteen Magistral Lectures, open to all citizens, and given by scholars of great renown and notoriety.
From 2014 to 2019 I have been a member of the University of Bologna evaluation panel of research products for the scientific areas of Philosophy, History, Anthropology, Geography and Education (area 11).
In 2015 I have been appointed by the Rector as a member of the working group on “Indicazioni per la visibilità di genere nella comunicazione istituzionale dell'Università di Bologna”, promoted by the Comitato Unico di Garanzia per le pari opportunità, la valorizzazione del benessere di chi lavora e contro le discriminazioni nel lavoro – CUG.
From 2015 I am a member of the Academic Board of the PhD in Philosophy, Science, Cognition and Semiotics of the Department of Philosophy and Communication Studies.
Scientific and Editorial Boards
From 2005 I am a member of the Editorial Board of Studi culturali, a scientific journal published by il Mulino.
Together with Roberta Sassatelli, I have been the editor of this journal from 2012 to 2015.
From 2008 I was first a member of the editing committee and then of the Editorial Board of Versus. Quaderni di studi semiotici, a scientific journal published by il Mulino.
From 2002 to 2014 I was a member of the Steering Committee of the Centre for the Study of Post-conflict Cultures of the University of Nottingham (UK).
Prizes and Awards
In 1999 I was awarded the prize for the best research project on television by RAI.
In 2005 I was awarded the title of Special professor, and in 2013 of Honorary Professor of the School of Modern Languages and Cultures of the University of Nottingham.
