|
|
|
Centre for Italian Women's Studies
In 1996 the Department of Italian Studies of the
University of Reading established a new Centre for Italian Women's Studies.
The Centre aims to act as a focus and a stimulus for
teaching and research activities in the field of Italian women's studies. Its
range of interests is broad, covering not only women's writing, but also women's
history in its broadest sense, as well as the history of ideas and culture in
relation to women. In particular, it aims to look beyond the twentieth century,
widening the field of investigation to earlier centuries.
The Centre is keen to liaise with both individuals and
other Centres or Institutes with similar or overlapping interests.
Past activities
On 4 December 1996 the Inaugural meeting of the Centre
took place in Reading. After welcomes from the Vice Chancellor and the Head of
the Department of Italian Studies, papers were presented by two speakers. Marta Cavazza of the University of Bologna spoke on 'Minerva e Pigmalione: Carriere
femminili nell'Italia del Settecento', and Marina Warner talked about ‘Ogres and
Storytellers: Strategies of Resistance in the Italian Fairy Tale'. The texts of
these papers were published in The Italianist 17 (1997). The meeting was
followed by a reception.
On 21 and 22 February 1997 the Centre co-hosted a
conference (organised jointly with the Centre for Italian Studies at University
College London) on Women and Writing in Nineteenth Century Italy.
Between 5 and 7 April 1998 the Centre hosted an
international conference on ‘Donne della Minoranze: Ebraismo e Riforma/Women
from the Minorities The Jewesses and Protestants of Italy'. Papers were
presented by over 30 speakers from Italy, the UK, Israel, France, Belgium,
Holland and Hungary, with keynote addresses by Anna Foa and Bruna Peyrot. The
conference closed with a Round Table discussion chaired by Tullia Zevi, former
President of the Unione delle Comunità Ebraiche Italiane. The proceedings of
the conference have been published by Claudiana Editrice as Le donne delle
minoranze. Le ebree e le protestanti d'Italia, edited by Claire Honess and
Verina Jones. (For details, contact
claudiana.editrice@alpcom.it.)
Visiting speakers in the Department of Italian Studies
invited by the Centre have included Lucienne Kroha and Maggie Gunsberg.
Recent and forthcoming lectures include:
"Mothers and Daughters in Contemporary Italian Literature"
Dr Adalgisa Giorgio, University of Bath
28 February 2003, 2 pm
"From Domestic to Dramatic: Matilde Serao's Use of the Gothic"
Dr Ursula Fanning, UCD, Dublin
8 May 2003, 3 pm
"Eleonora Fonseca Pimentel (1752-1799): A Woman
and a Revolution"
Dr Verina Jones, University of Reading
27 April 2005, 4 pm
For further information
Please contact the
Director at the address given below.
Francesca Medioli
Department of Italian Studies
University of Reading
Whiteknights
Reading, Berks, RG6 6AA
Telephone: 0118 9318400
Fax: 0118 9316797
F.Medioli@reading.ac.uk
|
|
|
|
Page last updated
February 25, 2008
|
|
staff
