Scholars at Risk – Italian section

The Scuola Normale Superiore joined the SAR-International network in 2018; since the same year, it has been a member of the national executive of SAR Italia. In addition to its advocacy and promulgation activities, the SNS is committed to hosting researchers at risk: between 2020 and 2021 it hosted with a research grant a female Kurdish scholar coming from Turkey, and in 2023 it opened its doors to two researchers who had fled, one from the war in Ukraine and the other from the authoritarian regime of Putin.
The researchers hosted at the SNS, while participating in the academic events – seminars, conferences and meetings… – at the same time maintain active relationships with their countries of origin and with their compatriots who have been welcomed in other countries abroad.
Academics at risk contribute not only to the scientific research at the SNS, but also to the promotion of a reflection on the values of academic freedom, social inclusion and equality.

The Scuola Normale also supports the safeguarding and defence of freedom through numerous initiatives:

In October 2022, the SNS took part in the activity organised by SAR-Italia with the University of Lecce on academic freedom at the Festival Conversazioni sul Futuro.

Between June and September 2022, the SNS took part in Rebuilding careers in exile Workshop (organised by SAR-Italia and SAR-Sweden), a meeting dedicated to the provision of information and suggestions to displaced scholars, as well as the resources necessary for rebuilding their careers.

On 24 June 2022,the SNS participated in the meeting SeSaMO XV: “The challenges to academic freedom in Europe”, University of Naples, l’Orientale.

In the spring of 2022, as a member of the work group within SAR-Italia on the organisation of the events regarding academic freedom, the SNS contributed to the organisation of the SAR-Italia speaker series online, a cycle of three events with conferences focussing on Afghanistan, Iran and Belarus

On 11 December 2021, the SNS participated in the concluding conference of the ANPI initiative: Ci fu chi disse no, (There were those who said no) which took place at the University of Padua.

May 2022, SAR-Italia played an active role in the event organised by the PhD students of the Scuola Normale together with Amnesty International

On 4 February 2021, the SNS took part in the meeting: La libertà accademica e accoglienza, in Avvocati e docenti al rischio al mondo, organised by the University of Verona.

On 1 March 2021, the Cosmos research group of the SNS held an online round table on academic freedom and autonomy of universities: Proteste dell’Università di Boğaziçi: una sfida inaspettata all’autoritarismo. (University of Boğaziçi protests: an unexpected challenge to authoritarianism

In the autumn of 2020, as a member of the work group within SAR-Italia on the organisation of the events regarding academic freedom, the SNS contributed to the organisation of the SAR-Italia speaker series on the topics of academic freedom, human rights and the work and /or research of scholars at risk.

On 27 October 2020, the Kurdish scholar hosted at the SNS presented her academic research at the online meeting on Kurdish youth mobilisation in Turkey in the 1990s, held at the University of Pavia with the participation of SAR-Italia.

On 28 October 2020, the SNS participated in the online meeting on Academic Freedom organised by the University of Milan.

On 19 January 2020, the SNS organised a COSMOS Talk by the female Kurdish scholar hosted at the SNS: L’amicizia come concetto politico: la politica giovanile curda negli anni '90 (Friendship as a political concept: Kurdish youth politics in the 1990s).

Coordination (2021-2022)

University of Trento, Ester Gallo 
University of Padova, Claudia Padovani and Francesca Helm

Steering Committee (2021-2022)

Scuola Normale Superiore, Lorenzo Bosi and Sevgi Dogan, Elisabetta Terzuoli, Daniele Altamore 
University of Trieste, Roberta Altin, Carla Savastano, Roberta Bensi, Elisa Dalle Sasse
La Sapienza University of Rome, Daniela Magrini and M. Ester Scarano
University of Padua, Claudia Padovani, Francesca Helm and Elisa Gamba
University of Turin, Barbara Gagliardi, Andrea Spagnolo, Manuela Ciarrocchi
University of Trento, Ester Gallo, Patrizia Tomio, Susanna Cavagna
Scuola Superiore di Catania, Adriana Di Stefano and Maria Guglielmino

List of members of SAR Italia as of December 2022

European University Institute, Magna Charta Observatory, IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, Scuola Normale Superiore, Scuola Sant'Anna of Pisa, Scuola Superiore of Catania, SISSA International School for Advanced Studies – Trieste, Società Italiana delle Storiche (Italian Society of Female Historians), UNIMED, University of Urbino Carlo Bò, University of L’Aquila, University of Bologna, University of Brescia, University of Cagliari, University of Florence, University of Genoa, University of Macerata, University of Milan, University of Milano-Bicocca, University of Naples Federico II, University of Padua, University of Pavia, Università del Piemonte Orientale, University of Pisa, La Sapienza University of Rome, University of Salento, University of Siena, University for Foreigners of Siena, University of Turin, University of Trento, University of Trieste, University of Udine, Cà Foscari University of Venice, University of Verona, Iuav University of Venice, International Telematic University UNINETTUNO

The representative of the Normale for the activities of the SAR Italian section is Lorenzo Bosi (lecturer in Sociology of political phenomena at the Faculty of Political and Social Sciences) who on the topic of SAR is carrying out the “Scholars coming from areas at risk project ” with Sevgi Dogan, temporary research assistant. Chiara Milan (fixed-term researcher in Sociology of political phenomena at the Faculty of Political and Social Sciences) is the representative of the Università per la Pace network (RUNIPACE). The academics involved in these initiatives have to their advantage the invaluable collaboration and support of the Internationalisation Service of the SNS.