Romain Descendre

Romain Descendre is Professor of Italian Studies and History of Political Thought at ENS de Lyon, where he has held a full professorship since 2012. He is also an Honorary Member of the Institut universitaire de France (elected in 2006) and holds significant leadership roles including responsibility for the 'Mondo500' scientific program at the École française de Rome (2022-2026), where he studies urban spaces, foreign presences, and knowledge economies in 16th century Italy.

His research spans multiple interconnected fields: history of political thought, political philology, historical semantics, history of knowledge, law and literature, with specific focus on 15th-17th century Italy. His work examines Italian political thought (particularly Machiavelli, Giovanni Botero, Paolo Sarpi, and reason of State), Leonardo da Vinci (art, language, knowledge), geographic literature (Amerigo Vespucci, Giovambattista Ramusio), and Antonio Gramsci studies.

His publication record shows remarkable productivity with significant works published annually through 2025, including major monographs on Giovanni Botero and Antonio Gramsci. His research demonstrates consistent thematic development around political language, historical semantics, and the interplay between different knowledge systems in early modern Europe.

• Honorary Member, Institut universitaire de France (2006)
• Director, Laboratoire italien. Politique et société
• Member, International Gramsci Society editorial board
• Scientific committee member for multiple international journals

Descendre has directed numerous doctoral theses on topics ranging from Machiavellian reception to Gramscian philosophy, and maintains active international collaborations with institutions in Italy, Brazil, and across Europe. His current research focuses on 'Mondo500,' examining urban spaces and knowledge economies in 16th century Italy through international scholarly collaboration.