FRANCESCA BENNA

PhD Student

PhD program:: XL
email: francesca.benna@uniroma1.it
building: Dipartimento di Lettere e Filosofia




supervisor: Alessandro Saggioro

Research: Buddhism in Italy: Narratives, Practices, and Symbols of Peace

PhD student in Peace Studies, curriculum in Identity, Memory, Religions, and Peace, at the University of Rome "La Sapienza," with a research project titled "Buddhism in Italy: Narratives, Practices, and Symbols of Peace." I graduated with honors in Religions, Cultures, and History (LM-64) from Roma Tre University, with a master's thesis in the anthropology of religions: "Buddhism and Hinduism in Lazio: The Case of Santacittarama and Kalimandir." I was awarded a full scholarship for the first-level Master's in Religious Sciences and Intercultural Mediation at the University of Turin, with a thesis titled "An Ethnography of the Sacred: The Lama Tzong Khapa Institute in Pomaia." Currently, I am exploring the Buddhist presence in Italy and how Buddhism has brought with it narratives of peace, nonviolence, and reconciliation that are deeply rooted in its traditions. These narratives, received and reformulated, have become an integral part of local discourses on peace. My research project examines how conflict management influences the identities and memories of communities, emphasizing the role of religion not only in shaping institutions and practices but also in promoting a worldview that encourages peaceful coexistence.

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