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معرفی
Unn Falkeid is a Professor of History of Ideas at the University of Oslo, where she has been teaching since 2017. Her academic home is in the Department of Philosophy, Classics, History of Art and Ideas within the Faculty of Humanities. She has held visiting positions at Yale University, Stockholm University, and Lindköping University, establishing herself as an internationally recognized scholar in early modern intellectual history.
Her educational background includes a PhD in Italian literature (2006) and a Cand. philol. degree with specialties in Italian, Latin and history of ideas (1994). Prior to her academic career, she worked as an editor at Gyldendal Norsk Forlag from 1995-2004.
Professor Falkeid's research focuses on Early Modern European History of Ideas (1300-1700), with particular emphasis on:
- History of political ideas in the 14th century (Dante, Marsilius, Ockham, Petrarch, Bridget of Sweden and Catherine of Siena)
- Religious reform movements
- Utopias and apocalyptic visions in the late Middle Ages and Renaissance
- History of Emotions
- Renaissance humanism and book history
- Early modern female philosophers and writers
- Respublica literaria (salons, academies, and imagined communities)
Her publications reveal a strong focus on women's intellectual contributions during the Renaissance, particularly examining figures like Birgitta of Sweden and Catherine of Siena. Her work bridges literary analysis, historical research, and philosophical inquiry, with a special interest in how gender shaped intellectual production and reception in early modern Europe. Recent publications demonstrate increasing attention to feminist reinterpretations of historical texts and the recovery of women's voices from the past.
Professor Falkeid has received numerous prestigious awards for her scholarship:
- Member of the Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Letters (2020)
- Alberigo Senior Award (2019) from the European Academy of Religion
- The Helen and Howard R. Marraro Prize in Italian History (2018)
- Premio "Il lauro dantesco" from Comune di Ravenna (2011)
She has held fellowships at Yale University's Whitney Humanities Center and received Fulbright support for her research. Currently, she serves as council member for the Norwegian Institute in Rome (2025-2029) and chairs the Norwegian Forum for Renaissance Studies. She is also active on editorial boards for several international journals focused on Renaissance studies and Dante scholarship.
Professor Falkeid leads significant research projects including "Women Thinking Love in Early Modern Italy" and "The Legacy of Birgitta of Sweden. Women, Politics and Reform in Renaissance Italy" (2018-2022), funded by the Research Council of Norway. She is involved with multiple research groups including those focused on digital humanities, children and young people in an idea-historical perspective, and literary traditions in early modern Europe.
