About

Simonetta Falasca-Zamponi is a cultural sociologist and professor in the Department of French and Italian at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her research engages in comparative-historical analysis through an interdisciplinary approach, primarily focusing on the first half of the twentieth century. She examines the production and circulation of meaning in historical experiences, utilizing visual and textual narratives to assess the dynamic nature of political and social phenomena, especially during times of traumatic transformations. Her work explores how cultural forms mediate the boundaries between official history and lived experience, as well as the public and private spheres. Falasca-Zamponi is the author of several influential books, including 'Fascist Spectacle: The Aesthetics of Power in Mussolini’s Italy,' which analyzes the role of symbolic discourse in the fascist regime, and 'Rethinking the Political,' which addresses 1930s French analyses of democracy amidst rising totalitarianism. Her recent book investigates shifts in Italians’ perceptions of fascism after the fall of Mussolini’s regime, based on private diaries of ordinary citizens, and has received multiple awards and honors. She has also contributed extensively to the fields of cultural sociology, social theory, and historical sociology, and has been recognized with grants and fellowships from prominent institutions such as the American Philosophical Society, the European University Institute, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Awards & honors

• Helen and Howard Marraro Prize from the Society of Italian H…
• Honorable Mention for the 2024 J. David Greenstone Prize of…
• Honorable Mention for the 2024 Peace, War, and Social Confli…

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