Daniela Merolla

Daniela Merolla is a University Professor at INALCO (Paris) specializing in Berber literature and art since 2016. She directs the LACNAD research unit, focusing on the interdisciplinary intersection of comparative literature and anthropology within African and Amazigh-Berber studies.

• Institution: Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales (INALCO)
• Research Themes: Berber Literary Space, Amazigh Cinema, Digital Oral Literature

Her research examines Berber oral, written, and multimedia genres across the Maghreb and European diaspora. She pioneered the digital series Verba Africana at Leiden University, documenting African oral literatures through audiovisual media.

Recent publications (2020-2025) emphasize:

• Amazigh cinema’s transnational evolution
• Hybridity in Berber literary spaces
• Digital preservation of African oral traditions
• Colonial legacies in North African humanities

She teaches master’s seminars on

• Amazigh cinema (fiction/documentary)
• History of Saharan literary studies
• Interdisciplinary approaches to African literature

at INALCO.

LACNAD Research Unit under her leadership explores:

• Aurès and Kabylie fieldwork
• Amazigh internet cultural production
• Cross-media literary analysis