Cristina Ciancio

Cristina Ciancio is an Associate Professor in the Department of Law, Economics, Management and Quantitative Methods (DEMM) at the University of Sannio, Italy, where she teaches Legal History (IUS/19). She is also a member of the academic board of the national PhD program in Teaching & Learning Sciences and serves on the executive board of the Center for the History of Criminal Justice at the University of Bologna. Her academic appointments reflect a strong engagement with interdisciplinary legal research and international collaboration.

Her research interests center on the history of medieval and modern law, with a particular focus on the legal treatment of death, burial, and commercial jurisdiction in 19th- and early 20th-century Italy. She explores the intersections of law, religion, medicine, and culture, especially in the context of secularization and state formation. Her work often adopts a comparative lens, analyzing legal transfers and dialogues between Italy and France.

Her recent publications reveal a consistent scholarly trajectory examining taboo subjects such as necrophilia, vampire trials, unbaptized infants, and the desecration of corpses, as well as institutional reforms in commercial law. These works demonstrate a deep engagement with primary legal sources, forensic medicine, and cultural narratives, published in high-impact journals and edited volumes.

• National Academic Qualification as Full Professor of Legal History (2019)
• Visiting Professor, Université Toulouse 1 Capitole (2022)
• Invited Researcher at multiple Max-Planck Institutes and French research centers (2012–2023)
• Organizer of international conferences on death, criminal law, and Franco-Italian legal exchange

She has advised on and participated in numerous scholarly events and research initiatives, though no formal students are listed. Her leadership in organizing international conferences and her active publication record indicate a vibrant research agenda and strong academic network.

Cristina Ciancio leads and participates in collaborative research projects across Europe, particularly with French institutions such as EHESS, Université Paris Nanterre, and CNRS. She has been instrumental in organizing international conferences that bring together legal historians, criminologists, and cultural scholars, fostering interdisciplinary dialogue on topics at the margins of law and society.