Ilaria Olimpico is a PhD Researcher in Peace Studies at Sapienza Università di Roma, supported by a scholarship from the Università per Stranieri di Perugia.
In 2004, she graduated with honours in International and Diplomatic Sciences from the Università degli Studi di Napoli L’Orientale, with a thesis in Islamic Studies.
Her doctoral research lies at the intersection of sociology and pedagogy, exploring the emergence of a “third narrative” in the Israeli–Palestinian context and investigating its ethical tensions and pedagogical possibilities within a conflict marked by profound asymmetries. Her research focuses on the Joint Memorial Ceremony, promoted by Combatants for Peace and the Parents Circle Families Forum.
Her deep question is: how can we ground ourselves in justice without losing compassion? How can we expand our compassion without compromising justice?
Throughout her PhD journey, she brings an approach rooted in 'thinking-with' and 'researching-with', integrating over fifteen years of experience in group facilitation. She has developed the methodological framework “Stories That Reconnect”, which weaves together the Work That Reconnects, Focusing, Theory U, and the Systems View of Life, through practices of embodied presence and social arts (Theatre of the Oppressed, Social Presencing Theatre, participatory storytelling, and poetic writing).
She has collaborated with CISP at the Università di Pisa, the Department of Political and Social Sciences at the Università di Firenze, and the Würzburg-Schweinfurt University of Applied Sciences (FHWS). She has worked as a facilitator and consultant for ANCI Umbria within European FAMI projects, focusing on conflict transformation, social inclusion, and capacity building.
In recent years, she has designed and facilitated international workshops, both online and in person, in collaboration with facilitators such as Elena Boukouvala, Arundhati Samudra, and her mentor Héctor Aristizábal.
Ilaria’s work explores experiences through the lens of deep learning and the possibilities of 'becoming with each other'. In a time when political narratives often reinforce separation and polarization, and when public discourse is increasingly shaped by dehumanizing narratives, she is committed to making visible 'stories of connection, compassion, and courage'.