Mathilde Lyons

Mathilde Lyons is a Researcher at the University of St Andrews, specializing in the intersection of race, identity, and Fascist Italian history. Her doctoral research, funded by the Wolfson Foundation, examines how Black communities in Italy navigated Fascist-era racial policies (1922–1943). She holds an MPhil from the University of Bristol (focused on anti-miscegenation laws in Italian East Africa) and a Trinity College Dublin undergraduate degree with the Gold Medal in European Studies.

Her research interests center on Fascist Italy’s construction of national identity, colonial policies, and Black experiences. Recent outputs include studies on Fascist aesthetics, transnational pedagogical practices, and case studies of colonial families like the Bin Mohamed siblings in Vercelli. She actively engages in public lectures and workshops addressing racism in education and medicine.

Awarded the Trinity Gold Medal (2021) and Wolfson PhD Scholarship (2022), she has presented at venues including King’s College London and St Andrews-Padua Seminars. Her activities include organizing EDI workshops and contributing to academic journals like Forum Italicum.