Paolo Gaibazzi

Paolo Gaibazzi is a Senior Assistant Professor (fixed-term) in the Department of Education Studies 'Giovanni Maria Bertin' at the University of Bologna. He holds an MSc from the University of Oxford and a PhD in Anthropology from the University of Milan-Bicocca. His academic career includes positions in Italy, Latvia, and Germany, where he currently directs the 'AfroEuropean Frontiers' project at the University of Bayreuth. Gaibazzi is a member of the MoDI scientific committee and leads the Bologna unit of the TAIA project on transnational aging between Italy and Africa.

His research focuses on migration governance, post-slavery legacies, African diasporas, and informal economies. Ethnographic fieldwork spans The Gambia, Senegal, Angola, Italy, and Tunisia. Key themes include externalized migration control, postcolonial consciousness, and the socio-economic dynamics of uncertainty.

Gaibazzi has coordinated research initiatives such as the ZMO-Leibniz 'Progress' group and the Heisenberg 'AfroEuropean Frontiers' project. His recent work examines temporalities of governance and decolonizing migration research methodologies. He contributes to the doctoral program in Global Histories, Cultures, and Politics at Bologna.

Recent publications analyze Euro-African border dynamics, Angolan migrant experiences, and Gambian diasporic identities. His work bridges anthropological theory with critical analyses of global governance structures.