Margaret Hills de Zárate, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, UK, Loredana Polezzi, University of Warwick, UK, Marco Santello, University of Warwick, UK
Recent years have seen the development of new theoretical and methodological paradigms, centring on the notion of transnational cultures and identities. The Transnationalising Modern Languages initiative – one of three beacon projects recently funded by the UK’s Arts and Humanities Research Council under its ‘Translating Cultures’ theme – aims to place Italian Studies firmly at the heart of a transnational rethinking of approaches to researching and teaching the mobility of people and languages.
The project looks at the development of Italian communities in a variety of geographical and historical contexts, from the UK to Australia, and from the Horn of Africa to the US. Its aim is to foster a transformation of the way on which we present Italian culture and language to a new generation of students and scholars.
The presentation will bring together members of the project’s core team and will explore ways in which transnational perspectives can be applied to Italian Studies worldwide. Starting from the specific experience of the project, panelists will discuss the impact which such a shift might have on other research areas, fostering the creation of interdisciplinary networks which centre on the notion of mobility, and developing closer connections between such areas as modern languages, linguistics, as well as sociological and historical approaches to the history of migration.