Beatrice Spallaccia

Beatrice Spallaccia is a Fixed-term Researcher (junior) at the Department of Interpretation and Translation, Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, Forlì Campus. Her current research focuses on the project "The Representation of Gender Issues Online Between Journalistic Discourse and Hate Speech: A Comparative Critical Analysis of English- and Italian-Speaking Newspapers" (SSD L-LIN/12).

Dr. Spallaccia earned her PhD in Translation, Interpreting and Intercultural Studies from the University of Bologna (2017) through a Dual Award international PhD with Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. Her doctoral research examined "Misogynistic Hate Speech on Social Networks: A Critical Discourse Analysis." She also holds an International Master's Degree with honors in Innovation and Organization of Culture and the Arts (2013) and a Bachelor's degree in Applied Interlinguistic Communication (2010), both from the University of Bologna.

Her research spans multiple interconnected fields at the intersection of language, gender, and digital media. Dr. Spallaccia specializes in gender studies and queer theory, with particular focus on online hate speech and its manifestations in digital spaces. Her work explores translation and gender dynamics, including the literary translation of LGBTQ+ texts and audiovisual translation for cultural accessibility. She investigates diversity management practices and applies critical discourse analysis to computer-mediated communication, examining how power structures and discrimination operate in online environments.

• Three-year PhD scholarship (2014)
• Socrates-Erasmus grant for study period at University of Girona, Spain (2007-2008)

Dr. Spallaccia has been actively involved in teaching since completing her PhD, serving as lecturer for courses including "Anthropology, Gender and Communication Processes," "English Language and Culture," and "Diversity Management" at the University of Bologna. Her research has been supported by multiple grants including the European project "GBOOK2: European teens as readers and creators in gender-positive narratives" (2021-present) and the research project "Narrativa anglofona per ragazzi a tema LGBQT tradotta in Italia" (April 2019-January 2021).

She is a member of Centro MeTRa (Center for interdisciplinary studies on translation and linguistic mediation with a gender perspective) and Almagender Integrated Research Team at the University of Bologna. Dr. Spallaccia also collaborates with the MITN (Migration, Identity and Translation Network), an academic network connecting Monash University and University of Warwick, and serves as institutional social media communication manager for DIT since 2020/2021.