Career and Teaching
Since 2021 she is Full Professor of Sociology at the Department of History and Cultures of the University of Bologna, where she teaches Consumer Culture, Sociology, Sociology of Modernity and Bodies, Gender and Society.
In 1917-2021 she was Full Professor of Sociology the Department of Social and Political Sciences, University of Milan where she taught Sociology, Consumer Culture, Visual Methods and Contemporary Sociological Theories. She was member of the Research Centre Genders - Gender & Equality in Research and Science.
Since 2008 she is member of the Phd Council Somet in Sociology and Methodology of Social Research (University of Torino and University of Milan) where she teaches Contemporary Sociological Theory.
In 2008- 2022 she was Visiting Professor of the University of Gastronomic Sciences.
In 2006-2017 she was Associate Professor in Cultural Sociology at the Department of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Milan. She has taught Sociology of Consumption, Sociology of Intercultural Relations, Sociology of Culture and Sociology of Communication.
In 2002-2006 she was Professor "Rientro dei Cervelli" at the University of Bologna, Faculty of Philosophy, where she taught Sociology of Communication, Sociology of Consumption and Fashion, and Sociology of Food.
In 1995-2005 she was Lecturer in Sociology at the Faculty of Economic and Social Studies, University of East Anglia, Norwich (UK) where she taught Body and Society, Culture and Society, and Consumer Culture at BA level. She also taught Qualitative Methods of Social Enquiry, Issues in Cultural Politics and Sociology and Philosophy at MA level. She co-convened the MA Degree in Cultural Politics. She was Equal Opportunity Officer and Women's Officer for the Faculty of Economic and Social Studies.
Professional Education
1996 PhD, Social and Political Sciences, European University Institute, Florence
1995 Master Econ (with distinction) in Applied Social Research, University of
Manchester
1991 Laurea (cum laude) Scienze Politiche e Sociali, Università di Bologna
Funded Research Projects
She is member of the Advisory Board of the ERC Project "Digital Values. Construction of Values in the Digital Spheres", Hebrew University of Jerusalem (2019-23). She has been Scientist in Charge of the University of Milan local unit of the PRIN project "Death, Dying and Disposal in Italy. Attitudes, Behaviours, Beliefs and Rituals in Italy (2017-20). She has collaborated with numerous funded research projects, both in Italy and abroad. Among them, she has directed the research project “Ceto Medio e Consumi”, funded by CSS (2008-11). She has also been scientist in charge of the work package on consumption of the Project “Post-democracy and New Forms of Political Participation. Consumers and Citizens” funded by the Austrian University Ministry (2005-08); Scientist in Charge of the MIUR Project “Rientro dei cervelli” “Tradizioni Alimentari, regimi di fiducia e comunicazione del rischio” (2002-05); Scientist in Charge of the Italian unit of the EU Fifth Framework Programme (Quality of Life) Project "Trust in Food: a Comparative and Institutional Study" (2001-04) .
Editorial Activity
Since 2022 she is member of the Editorial Advisory Board of the Journal Consumption and Society.
Since 2020 she is Co-Editor of the Journal European Journal of Sociology/Archives Européennes de Sociologie.
She has been Editor of the Journal Rassegna Italiana di Sociologia (2016-18).
She has been Co-Editor of the Journal Studi Culturali (2013-15).
Since 2001 she is member of the Journal Rassegna Italiana di Sociologia, first in the Editorial Committee and since 2007 in the Editorial Board, taking up the role of Review Editor up to 2010. She is also founding member of the Editorial Board of the Journal Studi Culturali since 2004.
Since 2012 she is member dell’International Editorial Board of the journal Revista de Extensão e Estudos Rurais, Universidade Federal de Viçosa (Brasile) and of the International Editorial Board of the Journal AboutGender. Since 2013 she is member of the Sociology Scientific Committee of the Publisher Il Mulino and from 2016 of the Editorial Board of the same publishing house. Since 2009 she is memebr of the Advisory Board of ZoneModa Journal. She was also member of the International Editorial Board of the journal International Journal of Sociology of Agriculture and Food (2011-18); of the International Editorial Board of the Journal of Sociology, the journal Australian Sociology Association (2009-2011); of the Editorial Board of Sociology, journal of the British Sociological Association (2002-2004) and of the Italian Journal Il Mulino (2004-2008). She has been member of the Scientific Committee of the Research Institute Carlo Cattaneo (2011-2015) and of the Scientific Committee of the Consiglio Italiano delle Scienze Sociali (2007-2015).
Research Centres Memberships
Since 2024 she is member of the Centro Interuniversitario Dis-4Change: Studi sul Discorso Climatico e Ambientale/Interuniversity Research Centre Dis-4Change: Studies on Climate Change and Environmental Discourse.
Since 2023 she is member of the Centre for Food History and Culture/Centro di Storia e Cultura dell'Alimentazione (CeSCA) del Dipartimento di Storia, Culture, Civiltà presso l'Università di Bologna.
Since 2022 she is member of the Centre for Gender and Education Studies/Centro studi sul genere e l’educazione (CSGE) del Dipartimento di Scienze della Formazione, presso l'Università di Bologna.
From 2007 till 2021 she has been member of the Centre for Research on Women and Gender Differences/ Centro Studi e Ricerche Donne e Differenze di Genere “Genders”, Università di Milano.
International Fellowships
In January 2014 she has obtained a Visiting Professorship at the University of New England, Armidale, Australia. In December 2006-February 2007, she has obtained an International Research Fellowship, in the ESRC/HARB Programme “Cultures of Consumption”, Birkbeck College, London, UK. In April 2004 she has been Visiting Fellow at the California Institute of Technology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Studies, Pasadena, Ca.
Conference Papers
She has presented numerous paper as Keynote, among which the Midterm Conference del Research Network on Consumption dell'European Sociological Association, Oslo (2020), the IV Convegno Nazionale SISEC, Torino (I) (2020); the XXII Annual Congress of the European College of Sport Science, University of Essen (Essen, D) (2017); the XII European Association for the Sociology of Sport Conference (EASS), Dublino, University of Dublin (Dublino, IR) (2015); the XXV European Society for Rural Sociology Congress “Rural Resilience and Vulnerability”, (Firenze, I) (2013); the III International Conference of Latin American Consumption Studies “Comunicação e Práticas de Consumo” (San Paulo, BRA) (2012); the International Sociology of Sport Association Annual Conference, Glasgow (UK) (2012); the International Sociology Association Conference on Leisure Studies, (Palermo, I) (2011); the 10th Arsjubileum of the Centre for Consumer Science Conference, University of Gothenburg (Gothenburg, SV) (2011); the Annual Conference of the Association for the Study of Modern Italy “Consuming Italy. Consumption in Italy and the Consumption of Italy”, Istituto di Cultura Italiana (London, UK) (2006); the International Congress “Social Theory and Consumption”, Università di Helsinki (Helsinki, FIN) (2005). She has also presented seminar papers in Departments and Universities in Italy and abroad, among which: Department of Social and Political Sciences, European University Institute (Firenze, I); Department of Sociology, University of Exeter (Exeter, UK); Department of Sociology, University of Lancaster (Lancaster, UK); Dipartimento di Filosofia, Università di Firenze (Firenze, I); Norwegian University of Sport and Physical Education (Oslo, NO); Department of Anthropology, University College London, (Londra, UK); Dipartimento di Sociologia e Ricerca Sociale, Università di Trento (Trento, I); Department of Sociology, Yale University (New Haven, US), Dipartimento di Scienze Umane e Sociali, Università di Bergamo (Bergamo, I); European Centre for Sociology and Political Science in Paris (Parigi, F); Scuola del Design, Politecnico di Milano (Milano, I); Dipartimento di Storia e Antropologia, Università di Pisa (Pisa, I); Dipartimento di Filosofia, Sociologia, Pedagogia e Psicologia, Università di Padova (Padova, I); Scuola Superiore di Studi Umanistici (Bologna, I); Departamento de Filosofía, Universitad de Navarra (Pamplona, E); Centro di Studi sul Genere e l’Educazione, Università di Bologna (Bologna, I); Dipartimento di Sociologia, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (Milano, I); Dipartimento di Sociologia, Università della Calabria (Cosenza, I); Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche; Università di Palermo (Palermo, I); Dipartimento di Sociologia, Università di Urbino (Urbino, I); Dipartimento di Filosofia, Università di Milano (Milano, I); Department of History and Civilization, European University Institute (Firenze, I).
