Chiara Milan

Chiara Milan is an Assistant Professor of Political Sociology at the Scuola Normale Superiore in Florence, Italy, where she coordinates the Jean Monnet Network “Transnational Political Contention in Europe” (TraPoCo). She holds a PhD in Political and Social Sciences from the European University Institute and was a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow at the University of Graz, Austria. Her work focuses on social movements, urban sociology, migration, citizenship, and youth activism, with a particular emphasis on divided societies and refugee solidarity.

Education and Academic Background:

• PhD in Political and Social Sciences, European University Institute (EUI)
• Marie Curie Fellowship, University of Graz (Austria)

Research Interests:

• Social movements in divided societies
• Refugee solidarity activism
• Urban commons and spatial justice
• Youth activism among migrant communities
• Anti-corruption movements in the Western Balkans

Her monograph Social Mobilization Beyond Ethnicity: Grassroots Movements and Civic Activism in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Routledge, 2020) examines post-war civic mobilization. Recent work explores pandemic-era refugee solidarity practices and youth activism in Mediterranean countries. In 2025, she received a prize for research on organized crime in Italian ports, highlighting intersections between illicit networks and port governance.

Awards:

• Prize for research on organized crime penetration in Italian ports (2025)

Key Projects:

• TraPoCo (Transnational Political Contention in Europe)
• Studies on municipalist platforms in post-Yugoslav regions
• Research on spatial justice in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Her work bridges academic research with activism, emphasizing how grassroots movements redefine citizenship and challenge exclusionary policies. Current projects include analyzing the political participation of youth with migrant backgrounds in Italy and solidarity networks along the Western Balkans migration route.