Research: Imagining Russia in the Romantic Age: Nationalism and The Early Russian Historical Novel
MA in Foreign Languages and Literatures (University of Bari 2002), he subsequently gained a PhD in Theory of Language and Sciences of Signs in 2008 with a thesis on novel and nationalism in post-colonial Africa. After working for a few years in Russia as an English and Italian teacher, he obtained the International Master in Russian and Eurasian Studies at the European University at St. Petersburg (2013). In the spring of 2014 he was Wayne Vucinich Fellow at Stanford University, before moving to China for three years to teach English. Since 2012 he has been a member of the editorial staff of the journal "Nazioni e regioni. Studi e ricerche sulla comunità immaginata", which he co-edited until 2021. His research interests focus on the entanglement between nationalism and cultural production in the Eurasian area. Besides a few articles and some essays in collective volumes, he has published two monographs: "Palestina 1881-2006. Una contesa lunga un secolo" (Napoli, Città del Sole, 2007) and "Nation-building and Personality Cult in Turkmenistan: The Türkmenbaşy Phenomenon" (Abingdon, Routledge, 2018). His research project focuses on the relationship between romantic nationalism and the historical novel in early nineteenth-century Russia.
Curriculum Vitae
Education:
Courses of Bulgarian Language and Culture
University of Veliko Tărnovo (Bulgaria) 18 July - 7 August 2016; 12 July – 1 August 2021; 12 July - 1 August 2022
Wayne Vucinich Fellow - Visiting Scholar at the Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies, Stanford University, Stanford CA (USA) 21 March - 21 June 2014
First Class Honours International MA Degree in Russian and Eurasian Studies (IMARES)
European University at St. Petersburg (Russia) – 1 September 2012 - 30 August 2013
Cambridge Certificate in English Language Teaching to Young Learners (CELTYL)
International House, Barcelona (Spain) – 22 August 2011 - 6 September 2011
Cambridge Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA)
AVO-Bell School of English, Sofia (Bulgaria) – 6 November 2008 - 5 December 2008
PhD in Theory of Language and Sciences of Signs
University of Bari, Faculty of Modern Languages and Literatures (Italy) – 30 October 2004 - 29 April 2008
Certificate in Italian Language Teaching (CEDILS). Grade: 80 / 100
University of Venice “Ca’ Foscari”, Department of Sciences of Language (Italy) - 1 June 2007
Courses of Russian Language and Culture
St. Petersburg State University, Faculty of Philology (Russia) - 6 October-11 November 2003
First Class Honours BA+MA Degree in Foreign Languages and Literatures (English, Russian, French)
University of Bari, Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures (Italy) – 8 October 1996 - 26 March 2002
Erasmus Exchange Programme
Université Paris XII – Val de Marne (France) - 11 April-5 July 2001
Courses of Russian Language and Culture
St. Petersburg State University, Centre of Russian Language and Culture “Smol’nyj” (Russia) - 7 August -10 September 2000 ; 5 August-23 September 2001
Maturità Classica (GCE). Final grade: 60/60
Liceo Ginnasio (Grammar School) “Socrate” (Bari, Italy) – 1 September 1991 - 12 July 1996
Languages: Italian (mother tongue); English (C2); French (C2); Russian (C2); Bulgarian (B2), Mandarin Chinese (B1).
Diplôme Avancé de Langue Française (DALF-C2). Grade: 93 / 100
Alliance Française Samara, Russia (31 May 2015)
Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE-C2). Grade: Pass A
Lord Byron College, Bari, Italy (3 December 2015)
Test of Russian as a Foreign Language (TRKI 4 - C2). Grade: 77 / 100
“Lev Tolstoj” School in Milan & State University of St. Petersburg (14 November 2020)
Chinese Proficiency Test (HSK 3 - B1). Grade: 283/300 (94%)
Associazione “Rise Up”, Taranto, Italy & Hanban (28 June 2020)
Bulgarian Language Certificate (B2)
University of Veliko Tărnovo, Bulgaria (1 August 2022)
Computer Skills: ECDL Modules 1,2,3,7
Work Experience:
English Language and Culture Teacher at I.I.S. “Marco Polo” – Viale Bartolo 4/6 – Bari (Italy) (1 September 2023 – )
English Language and Culture Teacher at I.I.S.S. “Tommaso Fiore” – Via Padre Annibale M. di Francia, 4 – Modugno (Bari, Italy) (1 September 2022 – 31 August 2023)
English Teacher at Polo Liceale “Majorana-Laterza”, Putignano (Italy) (10 December 2021 - 16 June 2022)
English Teacher at Scuola Secondaria di I grado “Tommaso Fiore”, Bari (Italy) (19 October 2020 – 30 June 2021)
Literature, Social Studies, World History, Human Geography, English, Music, and Biology Teacher at Academy Union Education – Shenzhen (People’s Republic of China) (7 September 2016 - 29 April 2019)
English/Italian translator of Michael Billig’s book Banal Nationalism for Rubbettino Editore, Soveria Mannelli (Italy) (13 November 2017 - 9 February 2018)
Russian to English translator and author for the sections Travel and Science & Technology of the website Russia Beyond the Headlines, www.rbth.com (Russia) (20 December 2014 – 17 January 2016)
English, Italian and French language teacher at the International Language Center ANO DO “Language Link”, Samara (Russian Federation) (1 October 2014 – 31 May 2015)
English/Italian translator of Judith Butler’s book Parting Ways. Jewishness and the Critique of Zionism for Raffaello Cortina Editore, Milan (19 September 2012 – 4 April 2013)
English/Russian/Italian Interpreter and translator at Blackshape spa, Monopoli (Italy) (28 June 2011 – 6 October 2011)
English and Italian language teacher at the International Language Center ANO DO “Language Link”, Samara (Russian Federation) (3 September 2009 – 11 June 2010; 30 October 2011 – 30 July 2012)
QA tester at Vivendi Universal Games Ireland Ltd, Dublin (Republic of Ireland) (3 August 2004 – 15 April 2005)
Editor of the theatre column of the newspaper City Bari (Rizzoli-Corriere della Sera spa), Bari (Italy) (1 January – 26 September 2003)