Stéphanie Lanfranchi

Stéphanie Lanfranchi is an Associate Professor (Maître de conférences HDR) in Italian Studies at the École Normale Supérieure de Lyon (ENS Lyon), where she holds a prestigious Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches (2021). Her work focuses on Fascist Italy’s cultural policies, literary criticism under totalitarian regimes, and Mussolini’s ideological discourses. She teaches Italian literature at ENS Lyon and supervises doctoral research in migration studies, cultural diplomacy, and 20th-century history.

Education:

• PhD in Italian Studies (2008, Paris VIII University) with a thesis on Fascist literary criticism, honored with a 'very honorable mention'
• Aggregation in Italian (2003), DEA/MA in Italian (2001–2003, Paris VIII)
• École Normale Supérieure (Ulm, 2000–2004) as part of the competitive A/L stream

Research Interests: Lanfranchi explores how Fascist Italy manipulated literary canons, suppressed critical voices, and weaponized cultural diplomacy. Her work bridges literature, history, and politics, with notable studies on Mussolini’s writings, Leopardi’s reception, and the Risorgimento myth. Recent projects address the Anthropocene’s intersection with 19th-century Italian thought.

Key Achievements:

• Authored Abbasso la critica! (2021), analyzing Fascist suppression of literary criticism
• Co-edited Mussolini’s early socialist texts (2019)
• Recipient of École Française de Rome fellowships (2006–2007)

Grants & Outreach: Co-organized major conferences on Fascist cultural diplomacy and Mussolini’s legacy. Appears in media discussions about her research, such as her 2022 interview on Abbasso la critica!

Labs/Teams: Member of the Triangle laboratory (UMR 5206), specializing in political discourse and intellectual history.