I am interested in language in connection with gender and sexuality in Italy/Italian. I study (and have published on) this topic from different angles and methodologies:

• sexist language used to reconstruct the traditional arrangement in Italian society (men/public - women/private) as well as failed and successful attempts to subvert this. 
• inclusive language, i.e. attempts to break the grammatical and social binary.
• insults directed at female politicians.
• violence against women and, more specifically, the gendered crime of femminicidio (femicide) in the parliament, in newspapers and on TV
• conventional messages used by fathers to police (their) daughters' sexuality.

I also published on violence against women in sentencing remarks in England and Wales (with Dr Amanda Potts) and on constructions of hegemonic and subordinate masculinities in YouTube comments (with Dr Mandie Iveson).

I published my first monograph Gender, Discourse and Ideology in Italian in 2019 (Palgrave) and my second monograph is currently under contract, provisional title Feminism, corpus-assisted research and language inclusivity (Cambridge University Press).

I was awarded a Ph.D. in Linguistics at Lancaster University with a thesis titled Gender and language use in the Italian parliament (June 2014)

Before my permanent post at the University of Brighton, I worked in 10 institutions (Edge Hill University, Lancaster University, University of Sheffield, Salford University, Westminster University, Loughborough University, Middlesex University, Liverpool Hope University, UCLan, University of Manchester).

At the University of Brighton, I teach research methods modules (for first, second and third year students), language revitalisation and minoritasation, language, gender and sexuality, big data.

I am interested in supervising students in the following disciplines (or combination of these):

- language, gender and sexuality (representation, production)

- corpus linguistics

- multimodality

- discourses around racism, sexism, transphobia and homophobia

- language describing violence against women in UK and other parts of the world.

When you contact me, please do send a detailed proposal with literature background and methodology (data and methods) in English. Unfortunately, I am not able to offer scholarships but TECHNE or CTGS regularly advertise calls.

Please do contact me if you are interested in spending a visiting period for your PhD research. 

A Master student who I supervised in the a.y. 2019/2020 has recently won the Best Student Essay at the IGALA11 CONFERENCE (International gender and language association), Queen's Mary 2021.

I participate in the public debate on the topic of inclusive and gendered language. Below, I list my public engagements:

• Interview on gendered/inclusive language, Rete Uno (national radio channel in Switzerland), available here

• Il dilemma dell'asterisco. Una stanza tutta per noi. Organised by Laboratorio Femminista, 16 May 2021. video available here

• La manipolazione del femminile nella lingua. Podcast Palinsesto Femminista. 21 April 2021, available here

• I sessismi nella lingua italiana. Organised by ArciGay Rete Transfeminista, with Anna Lisa Somma 19 March 2021. available here

• Discorso ed ideologia: la situazione linguistica nella politica odierna. Organised by  FEM (Future Education Modena). 9 Dicember 2020. Available here

• Il sessismo nella lingua italiana with Anna Lisa Somma, Gabriele Maesti and Roberta Mori. Organised by Biblioteca Assemblea Legislativa (Bologna). 26 Novembre 2020. Available here

• In this booklet, I worked with the NGO to using a inclusive/gender fair language

I have worked with Oxfam Italia (September 2021-January 2022) as a consultant on inclusivity practices in the workplace. As a recipient of the school's Knowledge Exchange Fund, Partnership/Networking Fund (PNF), I work with a school in the Milan area (events on inclusivity and decolonisation of the curricula are held monthly). I write a blog about the events, available here