معرفی
Federica Bessone is a Full Professor of Latin language and literature at the University of Turin, where she has been teaching since 2000. She holds a PhD in Greek and Latin Philology from the University of Pisa (1994) and has held prestigious academic positions including Visiting Fellow at Clare Hall, University of Cambridge (2021-2022). Her academic career at the University of Turin progressed from Researcher (2000-2005) to Associate Professor (2005-2015) and finally to Full Professor (2015-present).
Her educational background includes:
- PhD, Greek and Latin Philology, University of Pisa (1994)
- Diploma, SNS Pisa, Humanities (1984-1988)
- Laurea, Faculty of Humanities, University of Pisa (13/4/1989)
Bessone's research focuses on Latin literature of the Augustan and Flavian periods, with particular expertise in Ovid and Statius. Her scholarly interests encompass imperial ideology, gender roles in ancient literature, poetic memory, literary genres, and the reception of classical texts through later periods. She has made significant contributions to understanding how ancient authors engaged with and transformed literary traditions, particularly examining the interplay between poetic form and political power in imperial Rome. Her work bridges traditional philological methods with contemporary theoretical approaches, especially in gender studies.
Analysis of her publication record reveals a consistent focus on Flavian poetry, particularly Statius' Thebaid, and its reception through later periods including Dante's Divine Comedy. Her scholarship demonstrates sophisticated attention to intertextuality and the transmission of classical motifs across centuries. As co-director of a four-volume critical edition of Statius' Thebaid for the Fondazione Lorenzo Valla, she has significantly advanced the field of Flavian studies.
Her notable honors include:
- Life Member, Clare Hall, University of Cambridge (2022)
- Visiting Fellowship, University of Cambridge, Clare Hall (2021-2022)
- Fondo Progetto Giovani Ricercatori, University of Turin (2000)
- Fondation Hardt Research Fellowship (1998)
- NATO-CNR Senior Fellowship, University of California, Berkeley (1995)
As an academic mentor, Bessone has supervised numerous PhD theses in Classics and served as external examiner for doctoral candidates. She has coordinated the Curriculum in Greek, Latin and Byzantine Philology at the University of Turin's PhD program since 2019 and previously served as President of the BA program in Humanities (2015-2018). Her editorial work includes serving on the boards of Eugesta (2011), Rivista di Cultura Classica e Medioevale (2014), Materiali e Discussioni per l'analisi dei testi classici (2018), Frammenti sulla scena (2019), and Aevum (2022), as well as co-directing the 'Millennium' series and the 'Oxford Commentaries on Flavian Poetry'.
Bessone is a co-founder of EuGeStA (European network on Gender Studies in Antiquity, established in 2009), demonstrating her commitment to interdisciplinary approaches to classical studies. She actively participates in international research networks including the International Ovidian Society and the Réseau Poésie Augustéenne, and has co-organized numerous international conferences that have resulted in significant edited volumes advancing scholarship in Flavian studies.
