Nicola Bassoni

Nicola Bassoni is a Research Fellow at the Department of Asian and North African Studies, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, where he conducts a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship for the project YTOPIA – Yamatology of the Axis. Japan as a Nazi-Fascist Utopia of Political Renewal (2022–2025). He has previously held academic positions at the University of Genoa, including Lecturer in Contemporary History and Research Fellow.

• PhD in History, University of Genoa, 2016
• Master's Degree in Contemporary History, University of Rome 'La Sapienza', 2012
• Bachelor's Degree in History, University of Pisa, 2007

Bassoni's research focuses on 20th-century intellectual history, with particular emphasis on the cultural and ideological intersections between fascist Italy, Nazi Germany, and imperial Japan. His work explores the historical development of geopolitical thought, especially the reception of Lebensraum and related spatial theories in Italy, as well as the European image of Japan during wartime. He has extensively published on Karl Haushofer and the transnational dimensions of fascist geopolitics.

His recent publications reflect a strong trend in comparative fascist studies, cultural diplomacy, and the intellectual history of the Axis powers. Articles analyze visual propaganda, academic journals, and geopolitical concepts across Italy, Germany, and Japan, often using transnational and interdisciplinary approaches. His 2020 monograph Karl Haushofer and the Rome-Berlin Axis is a key contribution to the field.

Scientific awards and affiliations include:

• Recipient of the 2017 'Ettore Gallo' Prize for his doctoral thesis
• DAAD short-term research grant (2015)
• Member of the German Studies Association (GSA), AISTUGIA, and SISSCO

Bassoni has advised no formal students listed in the sources, but he has been involved in significant research projects and collaborations, including with the University of Konstanz and Kyoto Sangyo University. He has not received public mention of external grants beyond the MSCA-IF-GF-2020 funding for YTOPIA. He is active in academic networks and has presented at national and international conferences, particularly through AISTUGIA.

He is associated with research teams focused on contemporary history, geopolitical thought, and Axis cultural relations. His current lab or research group is the YTOPIA project team, operating under the Department of Asian and North African Studies at Ca' Foscari.