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Dr Angelica Pesarini

Formerly at Lancaster University

Professional Role

I am a lecturer in 'race', gender and sexuality. I teach across the Department of Sociology which includes the Centre for Gender and Women's  Studies and Media and Cultural Studies

Current Teaching

I am the module convenor for:

SOCL 243 Racisms and Racial Formation

SOCL 310 Nation, Migration and Multiculturalism

I co-teach:

SOCL 208 Gender Sexuality and Society

GWS 101 Introduction to Gender and Women’s Studies

GWS 403 Feminist Media and Cultural Studies

I also supervise undergraduate students working on the intersections of 'race', gender, class and sexuality in current society

Research Interests

I am interested in the investigation of visual racialising practices located at the intersection of race, gender, identity and Nation in colonial and postcolonial times, with a specific focus on ‘mixed race’ identities.

I conducted research on gender, identity and the development of economic activities within some Roma communities in Italy. I have also analysed strategies of survival, risks and opportunities associated with male prostitution.

Current Research

Starting from autobiographical accounts, my current research investigates phenomenological experiences of ‘mixed race’ embodiment lived by two generations of women born from a White Italian and a Black East-African parent in the ex-Italian East African colonies (Eritrea, Somalia and Ethiopia) and who migrated to Italy in the 1970s. Using Black feminist epistemology and qualitative research methods, I interrogate the limits of Fanon’s idea of the ‘white look’ and I focus on the gendered connotations clearly neglected by Fanon and useful  to understand the intersectional construction of the racialised and gendered ‘mixed race’ body in colonial and postcolonial Italy.

By examining the oral testimonies I collected in my fieldwork in East Africa and Italy, my research uncovers ambiguities and internal contradictions at the core of the Italian colonial discourse on ‘race’, gender and identity and highlights everyday life negotiations. The data reveals transgression of (post)colonial racial discursive boundaries often accompanied by practices of racialisation that may trigger shame, pain and violence. Also, my study reveals unexplored negotiations of mixedness and sheds light on some hidden inscriptions of Italian (post)colonial violence and resistance that have not been investigated before.