Barbara Ofosu-Somuah

Marian and Andrew Heiskell Rome Prize
September 1, 2026–July 2, 2027
Profession
Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Romance Studies, Duke University
Project title
Reimagining Italianità: Black Feminist Forms and the Politics of Belonging
Project description

My dissertation explores how Black feminist thought has circulated and developed through translation and other forms of cultural production in contemporary Italy. Integrating archival research with oral history, I seek to document how Black feminist politics became embedded within Italian feminist discourse and how Black Italian women writers have articulated a distinct political vision of belonging in the context of Italy’s colonial legacies and racial formations. My project examines institutional archives, editorial records, newspapers, and oral histories to argue that Black Italian feminists have been crucial to shaping ongoing national debates over citizenship, migration, and belonging.