ePortfolio of Valentina Tomassetti
Biography and Education
My historical formation started in Rome, my hometown, where I obtained my BA at La Sapienza - University of Rome. In 2012 I moved to London, where I studied for an MA in History at Goldsmiths College. Before joining the History Department at Warwick as a PhD candidate, I came back to La Sapienza to complete an MSc in Historical and Religious Sciences.
Research
My PhD project, provisionally titled Born Naked and Shameless - An Anatomy of Shame Through Early Modern Art, is supervised by Professor Rebecca Earle and has been generously funded by the History Departmental scholarship.
My research investigates the gendered dimensions of shame in early modern Italy. I am interested in understanding how shame was taught and prescribed to women through the use of cultural objects like paintings and books. My work is particularly focused on the embodied features of feminine shame, like blushing, downcast eyes and face covering, and their practices in everyday life. My thesis undercovers the preventative use of shame as guarantor of women's chastity and honour.
Education
MSc in Historical and Religious Sciences (cum Laude) - Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
MA in History - Goldsmiths College, University of London
BA in Historical and Religious Sciences (cum Laude) - Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
Awards
2016 – 2020: Departmental Doctoral Scholarship, University of Warwick
April 2018: Annual Conference Travel Bursary, Social History Society
April 2018: Gendered Emotions Conference Travel Bursary, University of Sheffield
August 2018: Annual Workshop Series on Passion, HRC - University of Warwick
December 2018: Non-UK Research Expenses Grant, The Royal Historical Society
January 2019: RSA Travel Grant, The Renaissance Society of America
Teaching
2018-2019: HI203, The European World 1500-1750
Selected Conference Papers
The Construction of Female Shame in Early Modern Italy.
Social History Society Annual Conference, Keele University – UK, June 2018
At First Blush: Shame as Gender Discriminator in Early Modern Art.
International Society for Cultural History, UmeĆ„ University – Sweden, June 2017
A Bride with Red Cheeks. Gender Discrimination and Emotional Practises in Early Modern Europe.
Bedford Centre for the History of Women - Royal Holloway University of London, June 2017
Memberships and Affiliations
Social History Society
Women's History Network
Renaissance Society of America
Royal Historical Society
Language skills
Italian: Native speaker proficiency
English: Full professional proficiency
Spanish: Full professional proficiency
Latin: Advanced proficiency
French: Intermediate proficiency
Professional Development
Resources and Techniques for the Study of Renaissance and Early Modern Culture
The Warburg Institute, London (22-25 May 2017)
PhD Students Training Day – Pre 1600
The British Library, London (20 February 2017)
Workshop on Emotion History with Prof. Barbara Rosenwein
Sheffield University, Sheffield (10-11 September 2018)
Research Interest
- History of Shame
- History of Emotions
- Cultural History
- Gender Studies
- History of Women
Valentina Tomassetti
v.tomassetti@warwick.ac.uk