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Research in the Department of Italian Studies

The Department of Italian Studies is a vigorous centre of research activity across all aspects of Italian Studies, supported by outstanding library resources and services. Members of the department maintain strong interdisciplinary links with a wide range of research clusters across the Humanities as well as with Social Science disciplines of Education and Politics. Research Associates make a vital contribution to the Department's research culture.

Proposals are invited from potential Honours, Doctoral and Postdoctoral students. Supervision and mentoring is available in literary studies, from medieval to modern; cultural and translation studies; sociolinguistics and applied linguistics.

Research Networks and Clusters

Medieval Studies

Francesco Borghesi (lecturer, Italian Studies), Nerida Newbigin (research associate, Italian Studies), Diana Modesto (research associate, Italian Studies).

See also Louise Marshall (Art History and Theory), John O. Ward (Research Associate, History), and the Centre for Medieval Studies and Network for Early European Research.

Renaissance Studies

Francesco Borghesi (lecturer, Italian Studies), Nerida Newbigin (research associate, Italian Studies).

See also Nicholas Eckstein (History), Ros Pesman (Research Associate, History), Louise Marshall (Art History and Theory).

Twentieth-century Italian and Comparative Literature

Giorgia Alù (lecturer, Italian Studies), Maria Cristina Mauceri (lecturer, Italian Studies); see also Anthony Dracopoulos, Vrasidas Karalis (Modern Greek); Andrea Bandhauer (Germanic Studies)

Literature and Culture of Migration and Travel

Maria Cristina Mauceri (lecturer, Italian Studies), Giorgia Alù (lecturer, Italian Studies),
Antonia Rubino (senior lecturer, Italian Studies)

Italian Cultural Studies

Giorgia Alù (lecturer, Italian Studies), Maria Cristina Mauceri (lecturer, Italian Studies),

Theatre and Drama

Nerida Newbigin (research associate, Italian Studies), Tim Fitzpatrick (associate professor, Performance Studies)

Sociolinguistics

Antonia Rubino (senior lecturer, Italian Studies)

Applied linguistics

Antonia Rubino (senior lecturer, Italian Studies), Paola Marmini (research associate, Italian Studies), Nicoletta Zanardi (research associate, Italian Studies).

Phd Theses

Current PhD candidates
  • Margherita Zanoletti, “Brett Whiteley's words and images: a translation studies approach.”
  • Diana Bryant, “The life and letters of Eleonora of Aragon, Duchess of Ferrara.”
  • Theodore Ell, "Piero Bigongiari's Rogo (1944-1952)."
  • Pip Muratore
  • Francesca Ori, "Le Odi di Giovanni Pascoli, studio ed edizione critica."
  • Marco Santello, "Language attitudes and language choice in advertising to the Italo-Australian community."
  • Sally Grant (associate supervision, with Art History and Theory), “The idea of the garden in early modern Venice”
  • Cristiana Palmieri
Recent PhD Theses
  • Andrew Wright, “‘Negativity’ in the works of Melville, Kafka, and Blanchot.” (PhD, 2009)
  • Gloria De Vincenti, “‘Oltrarealtà’ e il Secondo Futurismo Fiorentino.” (PhD, 2009)
  • Francesco Ricatti, “Embodying Italian Migrants: Impossible dialogues, spectral fantasies, and the body. Letters to Mamma Lena (La Fiamma, Australia, 1956).” (PhD, 2007. Jointly awarded the Premio Altreitalie 2008 for the best foreign thesis on Italian emigration.)
  • Jennifer Gargiulo, “Vivere sul serio: Eduardo De Filippo and the Art of Life” (PhD, 2007)
  • Anthony Cuzzilla, “Time, Telos and Mysticism in the Divina Commedia” (PhD, 2006)
  • Kathleen Olive, “Creation, Imitation, Fabrication: Renaissance self-fashioning in the Codex Rustici” (PhD, 2004)
  • Antonella Strambi, “The impact of Web-enhanced interaction and collaboration on the language learner. A longitudinal study of beginning learners of Italian at tertiary level.” (PhD, 2002)
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