Tullia Catalan

Tullia Catalan is an Associate Professor of Contemporary History at the Department of Humanities (DiSU) of the University of Trieste. She holds multiple leadership positions including Delegate for Relations with TA Staff in the Management Office, President of the Joint Committee of Teachers and Students, and member of the Department Council. She serves on Course of Study Recommendation committees for Historical and Philosophical Disciplines, Foreign Languages and Literatures, and Historical Studies programs, as well as participating in multiple Doctoral Colleges for History programs.

Her research focuses on Jewish history with particular emphasis on the Trieste Jewish community across the 19th and 20th centuries. Her scholarly work explores Jewish conversions, assimilation processes, participation in the Risorgimento, Holocaust remembrance, and Trieste's unique position as a multicultural port city at the crossroads of Italian, Slavic, and Central European cultures. She has published extensively on topics ranging from anti-Slavic sentiment in irredentist movements to post-WWII refugee policies in border regions.

Dr. Catalan is actively engaged in several significant research projects including the Institutional Research Collaboration with the Jewish Community of Trieste (2024-2025), the CU Remember Project focused on Holocaust remembrance education, and the "Our History" research grant examining local heritage archives. Her scholarly contributions demonstrate consistent thematic focus on identity formation, cultural transformation, and the complex historical dynamics of minority communities in border regions.

Her research methodology combines archival investigation with cultural analysis, examining both official documents and personal narratives to reconstruct the multifaceted experiences of Jewish communities in historical transition periods. She has organized educational initiatives including a September 2025 training course for teachers on Holocaust remembrance methodologies.

As a member of the Department of Humanities, Dr. Catalan contributes to teaching across multiple degree programs while maintaining an active research agenda that bridges academic scholarship with public history and educational outreach. Her work has established her as a leading expert on Trieste's Jewish heritage and its historical development within broader European contexts.