Alessia Zinnari

Dr Alessia Zinnari is a Lecturer in Italian and Graduate Teaching Assistant in Spanish at the University of Glasgow. She holds a PhD in Comparative Literature from the same institution and specializes in mental illness, women’s writing, and feminist theory.

• Research Focus: Interdisciplinary analysis of mental illness, trauma, and self-determination in women’s life-writing (Alda Merini, Leonora Carrington), feminist theory, and surrealist visual cultures.
• Teaching: Convener of Italian Culture 1 and Italian Language 2, with experience across Italian, Spanish, and Comparative Literature modules.

Key Research Themes: Her work examines how women’s oppression in patriarchal societies contributes to mental breakdowns, and how life narratives serve as empowering, healing acts. She explores intersections of creativity, healing, and gender-based trauma.

Publication Trends: Focus on feminist readings of surrealist memoirs, institutional violence against women, and ecofeminist perspectives in art and literature.

Scientific Awards:

• Residential postdoctoral fellowship “Andreazza” (Cini Foundation, 2020-2021)
• College of Arts Collaborative Research Award (2018-2019)
• Mac Robertson Travel Scholarship (2017-2018)

Grants & Supervision: Supervised Erika Villalobos Morales’ MLitt research on female madness in Mexican literature. Funded for archival research at the University of Pavia and symposium organization.