MAIN INTERESTS AND FIELDS OF RESEARCH
History of India and South Asia: the Political leadership and processes of political development processes 1920s-1940s; Nationalism in India the context in 19thand 20thcentury; Reforms and transformation of political-economic system in Indiawithin the context of changing economic paradigms in the 1980s and 1990s;Narasimha Rao’s Prime Ministerships 1991-1996; International History 1990s Indian Foreign Policy
CURRENT POSITION
Sept 2022–sept 2026 - Adjunct Professor,International Relations (History of International relation in Asia),Department of Asian and North African Studies (DSAAM),Ca’ Foscari University, Venezia, Italy
PREVIOUS ACADEMIC POSITIONS
2026 - Visiting Lecturer (Erasmus+ STA Scheme),History of India, Facultyof Arts,Departmentof History, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium (May)
Sept 2024 –Sept 2025 - Adjunct Professor,International Relations of India,Department of Political and Social Sciences,Alma Mater Studiorum,University of Bologna, Forlì, Italy
Sept 2023 – Sept 2024 - Adjunct Professor,History of India, Department of Historical and Geographic Sciences and the Ancient World (DiSSGeA),University of Padova, Padova, Italy
Sept. 2022 – Sept. 2023 - Teaching Assistant,History ofInternationalRelations, Department of Political and Social Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Forlì, Italy,
Sept 2022 – Sept 2023 - Adjunct Professor,Sociology of Migrations,Departmentof Social, Political and Cognitive Sciences (DISPOC),University of Siena, Siena, Italy
Sept 2021 – Aug 2022 - Research Fellow,Department of Law, Political, Economic and Social Sciences, University of Eastern Piedmont Amedeo Avogadro (UPO), Alessandria, Italy(12 months)
April 2022 – May 2022 - Adjunct ProfessorDeterminants of Democracy and Crisis of Democracy, Department of Political and Social SciencesAlma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
Feb 2019 – Sept 2019 - Adjunct Professor,Democratization and Democracy,Department of Economics, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
Sept 2018–Present - Teaching Assistant, “Introduction toInternational Politics” and “International Relations”Department of Political and Social Sciences Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
Jan. 2015–Aug. 2018 - Career Breaks in Research,Involuntary career interruption due to funding gaps -Took time to write again, to revise and to publish my monograph as well as to write Research project.
2014 - Research Assistant, Political and Social Analyses Lab (LAPS), and PEW Research Centre, USA University of Siena, Siena Italy and PEW Research Centre, USA(Nov. - Dec.)
EDUCATION
2014 - PhD - Comparative Politics,Departmentof Social, Political and Cognitive Sciences (DISPOC), University of Siena, Siena, Italy. Thesis title:Prophet and Statesman in Crafting Democracy: Leaders, Ideas, Compromises and Political Change. The Political Leadership’s impact in building India’s Democracy. Supervisors: Prof. Jean Blondel (EUI) and Prof. Maurizio Cotta (University of Siena). Examiner: Prof. James Manor (University of London)
2006 - 1stLevel Specialising Master(Postgraduate Diplomaequivalent)-Middle East Studies,University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Urbino, Italy
2004 - Laurea Vecchio Ordinamento(4-year-Old system Degree, Master’s Degree - M.A. equivalent) inPolitical Science,University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
TEMPORARY POSITIONS AND VISITING APPOINTMENTS
2026 - Visiting Lecturer (Erasmus+ STA Scheme), History of India, Faculty of Arts,Departmentof History, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium (May). Delivered six hours of undergraduate lectures within the History of Indiacourse (3 lectures) and two hours (1 seminar) of PhD Seminar withinresearch group History of Modernity and Society (MoSa).
2011 - Visiting PhD Scholar, The Instituteof Commonwealth Studies, School of Advanced Study,University of London (February-April)
FELLOWSHIPS AND SCHOLARSHIPS
2021-2022 - Fellowship Awarded from Fondazione CRT, Torino and University of Eastern Piedmont Amedeo Avogadro (UPO), Italy (12 months).
Project research: “The Unexpected Spring: Narasimha Rao’s Long Term in Office (1991-1996)”[first phase of research project]
2008 – 2011 - Full-time Doctoral Scholarship holder - Awarded fromMinistry of University and Research and University of Catania, University di Siena and University of Trento, Italy
PARTICIPATION IN CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS- papers presented (selection)
2026-“The Silent Center: Re-evaluating P.V. Narasimha Rao’s Executive Agency in the 1992 Ayodhya Crisis”,paper presented at theinternationalconference1st Italian Conference on Asia.Asian Entanglements, University of Turin, 29-31 January 2026
2024-Panel discussant, Workshop on the future of BRICS, atUniversity of Bologna, Forlì,Italy, 2December2024
2023-“Narasimha Rao government and the Mandal-Mandir issue (1991-1996)”paper presented at theinternational conference27thEuropean Conference for South Asian Studies 2023 (ECSAS23),European Association for South Asian Studies (EASAS), University of Turin, 26-29 July 2023
2022-“PV Narasimha Rao’s Government Italy Policy (1991-1996): Between Economic Partnership and Political Stagnation”paper presented at theinternationalconferenceBandung-Belgrade-Havana in Global History and Perspective. What dreams, what challenges, what projects for a global future?Inter-and-Trans Disciplinary Conference, Nasional Republik of Indonesia, Universitas Padjadjaran Bandung, Universitas Airlangga Surabaya, Universitas Udayana Bali, 7-14 November 2022.
2021-“The Unexpected Spring: Narasimha Rao’s Long Term in Office (1991-1996)”paper presented at theinternational conference:BASAS Annual Conference, British Association for South Asian studies (BASAS), The University of Edinburgh, 20-23 April 2021
2019-“The India’s Grand Strategy and the national security apparatus: How far has the Modi government come?”paper presented at theinternational conference: 69thPSA, Political Studies Association Annual InternationalConference,NottinghamTrent University, 15-17 April 2019
2017-“Sri Lanka Democratization (2016-2017)”,paper presented at theconferenceCentro studi Popoli Extraeuropei Cesare Bonacossa(CSPE) and Asia-Maior Conference ‘L’Asia alla fine dell’era Obama’,University of Pavia, October2017
2017-“The painful ordeal of India’s Democracy. The Indira Gandhi’s Emergency period and its influence on the India’s democracy (1975-77)”,paper presented at theinternational conference:11thECPR GeneralConference, European Consortium for Political Research, University of Oslo, 6-9 September 2017
2017-“The painful ordeal of India’s Democracy. The Indira Gandhi’s Emergency period and its influence on the India’s democracy (1975-77)”,paper presented at theinternational conference9thADI Asian Dynamics Initiative Annual Conference, University ofCopenhagen, 26-28 June 2017
2016-“The painful ordeal of India’s Democracy. The Indira Gandhi’s Emergency period and its influence on the India’s democracy (1975-77)”paper presented at theinternational conference30thSISP Italian Political Science Association Annual Conference,University of Milan, 15 -17 September 2016
2016-Round Table on Emerging Security Challenges in The Indian Ocean Region,Centro studi Popoli Extraeuropei Cesare Bonacossa(CSPE), University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy (Discussant)
2011-“Does Democracy flourish in Peaceful context? The odd case of India”paper presented at theinternational conference3rdWISC Global International Studies Conference, World International Studies Committee, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal, 17-20 August 2011
OTHER TEACHING EXPERIENCES
2022-2026-Guest Lecturer: “Foreign and security Policy of India”, in the undergraduatecourse on Introduction to international Politics,Department of Political and Social Sciences University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy (seminar 2 hours every November)
2022-Guest Lecturer: “India in the new multipolar context between globalization and de-globalization” Jean Monnet Module EGA – Europe in the Global Age Summer School, University of Eastern Piedmont Amedeo Avogadro (UPO), Alessandria, Italy (undergraduate-level seminar 2 hours)
2021-Guest Lecturer: “Indian Foreign Policy in the Global World”, the Master Program in International relations (undergraduate-level seminar 2 hours)
2021-Guest Lecturer: “India as Great Power” Course on Introduction to international Politics,University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy, Department of Political and Social Sciences, (undergraduate seminar 2 hours)
2017-Guest Lecturer: “India-China Relations” Masterin Global Governance, Cultural Diplomacy, and International RelationsUniversity of Siena, Siena, Italy (Post-graduate seminar 2 hours)
2015-Guest Lecturer: “India in Africa” University for Foreigners of Perugia, Perugia, Italy, Department of Human and Social Sciences, (undergraduate seminar 2 hours),
2010 - 2011-Teaching Assistant,University of Siena,Siena, Italy (Dec.-Jan.)
SUPERVISIONS
2024-Bachelor thesis, Department of Asian and North African Studies (Dsaam), Ca Foscari University,
2022-Bachelor thesis,Department of Political and Social Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna
MEMBERSHIPS
Since 2021-Member, European Association for South Asian Studies (ECSAS)
Since 2022-Member,Italian Society of International History (Società italiana di storia internazionale – SISI)
Since 2022-Member,Italian Society for Contemporary History Studies (Società Italiana per lo Studio della Storia Contemporanea - SISSCO)
Since 2021-Member,British Associationfor South Asian Studies (BASAS)
2016-2018-Member,Asia Maior– The Italian Think Thank on Asia
2014-2017-Member,European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR)
