Robert Rushing

Professor Robert Rushing is a faculty member at the University of Illinois in the Department of Italian Studies, focusing on 20th- and 21st-century Italian literature, film, and culture. His research spans critical theory (gender, sexuality, biopolitics, environmental humanities), popular genres (Italian Westerns, science fiction), and transnational influences.

• Education: Ph.D. in Italian Studies (UC Berkeley), B.A. in Comparative Literature and Philosophy (UC Santa Cruz)

Research Interests include gender and psychoanalysis in film, transnational reception of Italo Calvino, and ecocritical approaches to Italian cinema. His work on peplum films and biopolitics won the AAIS Film/Media Book Prize (2016).

Recent publications analyze cross-dressing in silent films, acoustic theory in transnational media, and eco-horror in Italian science fiction. His upcoming book (2025) explores Calvino’s influence on music, dance, and architecture.

Scientific Awards

• 2018 LAS Dean’s Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching
• 2016 AAIS Film/Media Book Prize
• 2008 Humanities Council Teaching Excellence Award
• 2008 Gradiva Award Nomination (NAAP)