Elena Zapponi

Elena Zapponi is a Researcher in Anthropology at the Department of Humanities, Ca' Foscari University of Venice. She focuses on gender dynamics, racialized sexualities, religious anthropology, and environmental conflicts in Cuba and Latin America. Her work examines how aesthetic production intersects with postcolonial identity and citizenship practices.

• PhD in Sociology (EHESS Paris, 2006)
• PhD in Cultural Anthropology (Sapienza Rome, 2022)

Recent research includes ethnographic studies on Havana haircare practices, Cuban vaccine sovereignty, and Damanhur's gender hierarchies. She has received the 2011 Annual Prize from the Association Française de Sciences Sociales des Religions for her Compostela pilgrimage study.

Her 15 most recent publications (2005-2024) span topics in:

• Gender and racial representation
• Religious pluralism and syncretism
• Migration and diaspora communities
• Environmental conflict anthropology
• Postcolonial cultural analysis

She teaches Anthropology of Development and Environmental Conflicts in Master's programs and maintains active research collaborations in Latin America and Europe.