Michelangelo Giampaoli

Michelangelo Giampaoli is a Visiting Lecturer in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), where he conducts ethnographic research on cemeteries, public health, and urban life. He has held academic positions in Italy, Brazil, and the United States, including teaching roles at the University of Perugia, UNESP (Araraquara), and Centro Universitário Barão de Mauá. His interdisciplinary work bridges cultural, medical, and urban anthropology.

• PhD in Ethnology and Anthropology, University of Perugia & University of Paris Nanterre
• Post-Doctoral Training in Medical Anthropology, University of Perugia (2011–2014)
• Post-Doctoral Training in Urban Anthropology, State University of São Paulo (2015–2016)
• MA in Cultural Anthropology, University of Perugia (2006)
• MA in Conservation of Cultural Heritage, University of Perugia (2004)

His research focuses on cemeteries as spaces of collective memory, citizenship, and cultural expression. He explores religious healing practices, particularly in Umbanda and other Brazilian traditions, and investigates mental health deinstitutionalization and community empowerment in Brazil and Italy. His work combines ethnographic fieldwork with critical theory, emphasizing the social dimensions of death, health, and urban space.

The 15 most recent publications reflect a consistent engagement with deathscapes, therapeutic pluralism, and urban anthropology. Themes include cemetery politics, spiritual healing, memorialization of political figures, and the role of social scientists in public health. His recent work in Chicagoland extends his long-standing interest in cemeteries into a transnational context, analyzing how urban burial grounds reflect broader social dynamics.

Michelangelo Giampaoli is a founding member of the Italian Society of Cultural Anthropology (SIAC) and a member of the Brazilian Association for the Study of Cemeteries (ABEC) and the Umbria’s Congenital Heart Disease Association (AULCI). He has been actively involved in international research networks and academic events.

He has advised and collaborated with researchers across disciplines and countries, particularly in Brazil and Italy. His current research projects include an anthropological analysis of Chicagoland cemeteries and a comparative study of ritual resolution in Brazilian religious groups. Though no specific grants are mentioned, his post-doctoral positions and international collaborations suggest sustained research funding. He has presented widely at universities and conferences in Europe, Brazil, and the U.S.

Giampaoli has been involved in organizing academic round tables and seminars on topics such as body and social sciences, health anthropology, and death studies. His institutional affiliations include research centers in Paris (EHESS/MSH) and São Paulo (UNESP), reflecting his transnational academic presence.