Giuseppina Paola Viscardi

I am a historian of religions at the Department of History and Cultures, University of Bologna. My research focuses on polytheisms of the ancient Mediterranean, particularly ancient Greece and Rome, in a comparative perspective, combining History of Religions with anthropology, philology, archaeology, and cognitive approaches. My main interests include sacred space and religious landscapes, cultural memory, identity, gender, ritual practices, divination, and the construction of knowledge. A central strand of my research explores the relationship between language and religion, developed through the international LARES – Language and Religion project (https://site.unibo.it/lares/it) within the UNA Europa network, with particular attention to religious terminology and processes of acculturation. Since 2023, I have been Co-Director of EIDOLA. Materiality, Cognition, and History of Religions Research Center. My work also encompasses international research projects, doctoral training, academic publishing, and public engagement. My current research develops the connections between language, materiality, cognition, and religion.