The first part of a new series to highlight the amazing work our FRIT Graduate Students do will focus on Italian Studies PhD student, Michela Bertossa.
She obtained her BA (2015) and MA (2018) in Italian Literature and Linguistics with minors in History, Gender Studies, and Islamic Studies at the University of Zurich. In 2015 she was an exchange student at the Institute of Cultural Studies at Leipzig University, Germany. Her Bachelor's dissertation focused on patriarchal structures in Maria Messina's narrative, while her Master's dissertation was about Clara Maffei's literary salon (1834-1886) and her influence on the career of Italian women writers in Liberal Italy. She also collaborated on the digital humanities website project "Scrittrici del primo Novecento" prompted by the chair of Italian Literature at the University of Zurich. At The Ohio State University, she is working on her dissertation on the representation of sex workers and motherhood in 19th and early 20th-century literature and silent cinema.
Michela won the Graduate School's prestigious Dissertation Fellowship this year. She will spend AY24 researching, writing, and sharing her scholarly work. Some of her most recent work and achievements include:
- Co-leading "The Italian City - Bologna, Italy" study abroad experience in May for a group of FRIT students.
- French & Italian Graduate Student Association President (2021-2023) & Department Graduate Student Representative.
- Current FRIT Delegate tot he Council of Graduate Studies (2023-2024)
- Presented dissertation project at the Interdisciplinary Network for Nineteenth-Century Italian Studies (INNCIS) at Seton Hall University.
- Presenting a chapter of her dissertation entitled, "Hyper-sexualization and Criminalization of the Female Body" at a conference in Portland, Oregon in October.
- Recently made a short audiobook review for the podcast, "Camera d'Eco" on Swiss-Italian Radio Rete Due.
We wish Michela all the best with her continued research and teaching!
