Filomena Fantarella

Filomena Fantarella is an Assistant Professor of Italian at the University of Rochester's Eastman School of Music. She holds a Ph.D. in Italian Studies from Brown University, where she taught language and cultural courses and coordinated the language program. Her research focuses on second language acquisition, the intersection of politics and literature, Fascism/anti-Fascism, 19th/20th-century intellectual history, and food studies. She has authored two major works: Un figlio per nemico (2018), honored with a Special Mention for the Giacomo Matteotti Prize, and its English edition The Family of Gaetano Salvemini Under Fascism (2023). She currently leads a research project on the development of Italian Studies in the U.S., supported by a grant from the Ragusa Foundation for Humanities.

Education
- Ph.D. in Italian Studies, Brown University

Research Trends
Her work bridges literary analysis with historical context, particularly examining family dynamics under Fascism and the intellectual legacy of figures like Gaetano Salvemini. Recent projects emphasize transnational academic exchanges and the evolution of Italian Studies in North America.

Awards

• Special Mention - Giacomo Matteotti Prize 2019

Grants

• Ragusa Foundation for Humanities Grant (2023) for research on Giuseppe Prezzolini's contributions to Italian Studies in the U.S.

Labs/Teams
Collaborates with the Eastman Performing Arts Medicine and the George Walker Center for Equity and Inclusion in Music.