Francesco D'Amaro

Francesco D'Amaro is a Post-Doctoral Researcher at Universidade de Coimbra working on the ERC project 'Rescuing seeds' heritage: engaging in a new framework of agriculture and innovation since the 18th century (ReSEED)'. He completed his European PhD Cum Laude in Contemporary History at Universitat de València in 2017 with a thesis on 'Intereses en conflicto. Técnicos, organización sindical e instituciones de riego durante el franquismo' supervised by Dr. María Cruz Romeo Mateo and Dr. Salvador Calatayud Giner.

His primary research focuses on the relationship between the State and local institutions regarding hydraulic works in Spain and Italy, with particular attention to collaboration and conflicts between ministerial leaders and engineers. His work spans Contemporary History, Social History, Italian Studies, and History and Memory, with a special emphasis on irrigation communities, water management history, and the political dimensions of hydraulic infrastructure. His research combines archival work from national and international sources to examine how local water management institutions have interacted with state power throughout the 20th century.

D'Amaro's publication record reveals a consistent focus on water governance, showing how irrigation communities have navigated state interventions across different political regimes in Spain and Italy. His work demonstrates how water management has served as a lens for understanding broader social, political, and economic transformations, particularly during the Francoist period in Spain and Fascist period in Italy. His recent publications increasingly incorporate digital history methodologies, including work on web archiving as a source for contemporary history.

As a researcher on the ERC ReSEED project, D'Amaro contributes to interdisciplinary work examining agricultural innovation and seed heritage. His methodological approach combines traditional historical research with analysis of institutional dynamics, showing how local communities have maintained autonomy while navigating state regulation in water management.