Maria Cristina FORNARI

Maria Cristina FORNARI is an Associate Professor in the Department of Humanities at the University of Salento, specializing in the History of Philosophy. She is a leading scholar in Nietzsche studies, Darwinism, and philosophical practices. She has held leadership roles in doctoral education and international research collaborations.

Education:

• PhD in Historical-Philosophical Disciplines, University of Lecce
• Graduate in Philosophy, University of Pisa
• Diploma in Philosophical Counseling, Advanced School of Philosophical Counseling, Turin

Her research focuses on Friedrich Nietzsche, evolutionism, moral naturalism, and the history of 19th-century ideas. She has contributed significantly to the critical edition of Nietzsche’s works and correspondence, particularly through her editorial work on his letters and posthumous fragments. Her scholarship bridges continental philosophy, textual criticism, and philosophical counseling.

Her recent publications explore themes of self-creation, poetic deception, Dionysian mythology, and the editorial history of Nietzsche’s texts. These works reflect a deep engagement with Nietzsche’s philosophical legacy and its implications for ethics, art, and personal transformation.

Scientific Awards and Recognition:

• Unanimously qualified for full professorship (first band) in 2018

Maria Cristina FORNARI has coordinated international doctoral programs and served as Deputy Director of the Doctoral School at the University of Salento. She is currently the university’s contact for Doctoral Programs at CRUI. She has participated in 6 national PRIN projects and multiple international research initiatives, including digital critical editions of Nietzsche’s works funded by DFG and ANR. She mentors PhD students and collaborates widely across Europe and Latin America.

She is actively involved in academic publishing, serving as co-director of the 'Nietzscheana' book series and the journal 'Alvearium', and as a member of the editorial boards of several international journals including 'Nietzsche-Studien', 'Cadernos Nietzsche', and 'Estudios Nietzsche'. She is a founding member of the Interuniversity Center “Colli-Montini” and vice president of the Permanent Nietzsche Seminar.