Italy
I am a Professor of Political Philosophy at University of Catania and an Affiliate Member of the Centre for Law, Democracy and Society at Queen Mary University of London. With a legal background (PhD in Legal Philosophy, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa; BA in Law, University of Catania), my research in normative political theory examines the forms and limits of political authority and the relations between justice, rights, normativity, and power. My work develops along four connected strands: (1) democratic theory and legitimacy, focusing on how contemporary governance is justified, contested, and embedded in legal and institutional practice; (2) Kantian and Hegelian approaches to political normativity and the normative architecture of constitutional and legal orders, across constitutional theory, legal theory, and metaethics; (3) political symbolism and the relations between philosophy and literature, with Franz Kafka as a lens on authority, power, and the lived experience of legal normativity; (4) a critical account of rights as a moral and political grammar shaped by inherited narratives that condition what can count as “universal” in modern political discourse. From 2012 to 2023 I directed the PhD Programme in Political Science and, since 2025, I have served as Departmental Research Lead. I am currently Principal Investigator of “Technopower and the Metamorphosis of Democracy” (2024–2026) and co-Principal Investigator of the MSCA Doctoral Network “Climate Urgency” (2022–2025). I have authored around 100 scholarly publications (monographs, peer-reviewed articles, edited volumes, and critical editions). Keywords: normative political theory; justice and rights; democratic theory; political authority and power; constitutional & legal theory; normativity of law and institutions; metaethics; technology and governance. Languages: Italian (native); English and German (fluent); French and Nordic languages (working proficiency).
Queen Mary School of London, School of Law -- Centre for Law, Democracy and Society, External Affiliate Member
Visiting professor Facultat de Dret
Tempus SHESPSS Italian team project coordinator Project title: Strengthening Higher Education for Social Policy making and Social Services delivery (SHESPSS) Duration: 3 years (December 2013 – November 2016) Scope: International Type: Joint Projects – Curricular Reform Summary of the project: The aim of the project Strengthening Higher Education for Social Policy making and Social Services delivery (SHESPSS) is to strengthen higher education in the field of social policy making and social services delivery through developing new study programmes, improving existing study programmes and establishing effective links between academic programs and social/labour market needs. Project Partners University of Niš University of Belgrade University of Novi Sad University College Sjælland University of Catania University of London Center for Independent Living of PWDs Serbia Social Protection Professionals Association of Serbia Association of Centers for Social Work of Serbia