Achille Marotta

Achille Marotta is a Max Weber Fellow at the European University Institute (EUI), affiliated with the Department of History and the Max Weber Programme for Postdoctoral Studies. He holds a PhD from the University of Bologna (2024) and conducts research on slavery, cross-confessional relations, and social life in the early modern Mediterranean.

His research interests include:

• Social and legal history of slavery in early modern Europe
• Microhistory of marginalized communities
• Comparative studies of Catholic and Islamic societies
• Gender and sexuality in Mediterranean contexts
• Archival studies and historical methodology
• 17th and 18th century Mediterranean history

Marotta's recent research focuses on the lives of enslaved and manumitted Muslims in Genoa and the phenomenon of 'merchant slaves'—enslaved individuals who operated as traders and vendors, sometimes purchasing their own freedom. His work reveals complex social, economic, and cultural dynamics in Italian port cities. His 2024 article on cross-confessional male intimacy in eighteenth-century Italy reflects his interest in emotional and relational histories across religious boundaries.

His scientific recognition includes a research grant from the Fondazione Luigi Einaudi in Turin for his second project on merchant slaves. He is an active member of the EUI Working Group on Palestine and collaborates under the mentorship of Giancarlo Casale and M'hamed Oualdi.

Marotta advises no students at this time, which is typical for early-career postdoctoral fellows. He has not received major prizes beyond his grant but is building a strong research profile. He is currently revising his doctoral thesis into a monograph and expanding his research agenda on economic agency among enslaved populations.

He is associated with the Max Weber Programme, a prestigious postdoctoral fellowship supporting interdisciplinary historical research at EUI.