A new research project looking at how modern Italian culture has developed around the world, in which researchers in Italian at Warwick (Jennifer Burns and Loredana Polezzi) take a central role, has been awarded £1.8million by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).

From the insights it develops into transnational Italian cultures, the project will forge a new framework for the discipline of Modern Languages as a whole, one which puts the interaction of languages and cultures at its core.

In the 150 year history of Italy as a nation state, communities identified as Italian have formed in many parts of the world, while in the past 30 years Italy has also become a destination country for migrants from a variety of national, religious and ethnic backgrounds. This mobility and interaction with other cultures around the globe will come under the spotlight over the next three years through the work of academics from the Universities of Bristol, Warwick, St Andrews and QMU in the first study of its kind.

The project will look at the Italian communities established in the UK, the US, Australia, South America, Africa and at the migrant communities of contemporary Italy. It will focus on the cultural associations that each community has formed.

Researchers will examine a wealth of publications and materials – journals, literature, life stories, photographs, collections of memorabilia and other forms of representation – from these communities identified as Italian, looking at different types of linguistic and cultural translation and examining the impact they have on notions of national identity.

Read the full press release on the Italian Studies website 

Find out more…

The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) funds world-class, independent researchers in a wide range of subjects including ancient history, modern dance, archaeology, digital content, philosophy, English literature, design, the creative and performing arts, and more. This financial year the AHRC will spend approximately £98m to fund research and postgraduate training in collaboration with a number of partners. The quality and range of research supported by this investment of public funds not only provides social and cultural benefits but also contributes to the economic success of the UK.

The AHRC awarded this grant under their Translating Cultures theme to address the need for better understanding and communication between and across diverse cultures. It looks at the role of translation, understood in its broadest sense, in the transmission, interpretation and sharing of languages, values, beliefs, histories and narratives.

Read the the AHRC Press Release on its themed large grants.