Francesco Zappa

Francesco Zappa is an Associate Professor of Islamic Studies and History of Islamic Civilization at the Italian Institute of Oriental Studies (Sapienza University of Rome). He teaches courses on Islamic Cultures in Sub-Saharan Africa, Arabic language, and the history of Islamic civilization across undergraduate and graduate programs in Oriental Languages and Civilizations, Global Humanities, and Cultures and Religions.

• Academic Affiliation: Sapienza University of Rome (2016-present), Aix-Marseille University (2011-2016)
• Research Focus: Islam in West Africa, Bambara language as an Islamic medium, historical anthropology of Islamic societies, and precolonial Arabic sources.
• International Engagement: Conducted fieldwork in Mali (2000-2010), visiting professor at Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) in Marseille (2023).

His scholarly contributions include analyzing the interplay between learned and popular Islamic practices in West Africa, exploring the transnationalization of Islamic knowledge, and examining the role of Bambara in Islamic textual and oral traditions. He has also contributed to debates on Islamic languages and literatures, building on Alessandro Bausani's theoretical framework.

Francesco Zappa's academic collaborations span institutions like IREMAM, SoMuM Institute, and INALCO. His methodology integrates classical Islamology, religious anthropology, linguistics, and orality studies.