Ida Zilio-Grandi

Ida Zilio-Grandi is an Associate Professor in the Department of Asian and North African Studies at Ca' Foscari University of Venice, where she specializes in Arabic Language and Literature (SSD L/OR-12). She also holds teaching responsibilities in Islamic Thought and Theology (SSD L/OR-10) and has been actively involved in multiple interdisciplinary programs, including Master’s degrees in Interfaith Dialogue, Islamic Philosophy, and Mediterranean Studies. From 2019 to 2023, she served as Director of the Italian Cultural Institute in Abu Dhabi under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reflecting her deep engagement with cultural diplomacy.

Education

• Graduated in Oriental Languages and Literatures (Arabic) from Ca' Foscari University of Venice.
• PhD in “Studies on the Middle East and the Maghreb from the founding of Islam to the Present day” at the University of Naples “L’Orientale”.

Research Interests

Her scholarly work centers on Quranic studies, Islamic ethics, and Arabic literature. She investigates religious figures in the Quran (e.g., Mary, Cain, Pharaoh, Jonah), Islamic moral concepts such as gratitude (šukr), patience (ṣabr), tolerance, and mercy, and the ethical dimensions of employment, speech, and hospitality. Her research draws on classical exegesis, adab literature, and contemporary Islamic thought, bridging historical analysis with modern applications. She also explores interfaith dialogue, particularly between Islam, Christianity, and Judaism, and cultural relations between the Islamic world and the West.

Publication Trends

Her recent publications (2020–2025) reflect a sustained focus on Islamic virtues, ethics, and Quranic interpretation. These include monographs on the moral life of Muslims, studies on Sufism in the UAE, Abraham’s legacy, and environmental ethics in Islam. Her work combines rigorous philological analysis with philosophical insight, often published in high-impact journals and academic volumes.

Scientific Service and Recognition

• Member of the “Committee for Islam in Italy” at the Ministry of Interior (since 2015).
• Member of the Scientific Committee of the “Dialogue méditerranéen sur la modernité et le religieux” at Collège des Bernardins, Paris.
• Sits on the editorial boards of Annali di Ca’ Foscari, Islamo-Christiana, and L’opera Comune.
• Invited Researcher at the Pontificio Istituto di Studi Arabi e d’Islamistica (PISAI), Rome (since 2017).

Advising, Grants, and Leadership

She has coordinated several Master’s programs at Ca' Foscari, including the LM “Languages, Economies and Societies of Asia and Mediterranean Africa (LEISAAM)” and the international LM “MIM – Crossing the Mediterranean.” She is the Erasmus+ Coordinator for partnerships with the University of Jordan and Mohammed V University in Rabat. She led the research project The Languages of the Absolute (2011–2015), funded by Ca' Foscari University. Though no formal students are listed, her mentorship is evident through her academic leadership and editorial roles.

Labs and Research Groups

She is affiliated with several research centers, including the Ca' Foscari Center for Studies on Human Rights (CESTUDIR), the Center for Contemporary Middle East Studies (CEM), and the Religion, Law and Economy in the Mediterranean Area Center (REDESM). She is also a member of the Arab-Christian Research Group (GRAC) and the Lay Association for Biblical Culture “Biblia.”