Mara Benadusi

Professoressa associata di Discipline demoetnoantropologiche [SDEA-01/A]
I graduated with honors in Anthropology from the University of Rome “La Sapienza” and earned a PhD in Anthropology of Complex Societies at the University of Catania. After a postdoctoral fellowship at CERCO (Center of Excellence in the Anthropology and Epistemology of Complexity), I began working as a researcher at the University of Bergamo in 2005 and later became an associate professor in the Department of Political and Social Sciences at the University of Catania.

My research interests are mainly in environmental and disaster anthropology, and most recently climate change, both in Sri Lanka and Italy. I have been investigating the socio-ecological relationships tied to processes of jurisdiction over "nature" and biodiversity loss, as well as energy transitions in contexts still reliant on fossil fuels. Since 2022, in my role as an associate researcher for the project "RULNAT - Ruling on Nature: Animals and the Environment Before the Court" (https://rulnat.cnrs.fr/), I have been conducting ethnographic research in Sri Lanka on conflicts related to elephant protection and the legal demands for recognizing their personhood as sentient beings in court. Prior to this, I researched the risks associated with natural disasters, particularly in the aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami. Additionally, I have a keen interest in the anthropology of education, as well as the role of religiosity and ritual in migration contexts.

Throughout my academic career, I have published my research in a wide selection of scholarly journals, including Focaal, Civilisations, Nature&Culture, Capitalism Nature Socialism, Journal of Modern Italian Studies, South-East Asia Research, Economic Anthropology, Anuac, Ethnography and Qualitative Research, Public Anthropologist, the Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management. I am also the Co-Editor of several special issues and volumes, most notably "On the Witness Stand: Environmental Crises, Disasters and Social Justice" (Archivio Antropologico Mediterraneo, 2016, togheter with Sandrine Revet) and "Disasters, Development and Humanitarian Aid: New Challenges for Anthropology" (Guaraldi, 2011, with Bruno Riccio and Chiara Brambilla).

In my professional journey, I have been a visiting scholar at several universities, such as Columbia University, Sciences Po, the Catholic University of Lyon, the University of Colombo in Sri Lanka, and Chengdu University in China. Since 2018, I have been involved with the European Research Council (ERC), initially as a member of the Evaluation Panel for the Consolidator Grant SH3 (The Social World and its Diversity), and later as panel chair, first for the SH3 panel and from 2024, for the SH8 panel (Studies of Cultures and Arts). Alongside serving on the scientific boards of various national and international journals, I am Co-Editor in Chief of Antropologia Pubblica (together with Marco Bassi).

NATIONAL SCIENTIFIC HABILITATION
I am qualified to perform the functions of Full Professor in Anthropology since 2018.

CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECTS:
At present, I am engaged in three strands of anthropological research through multidisciplinary collaborations: climate change, biodiversity restoration, and energy communities.

C-URGE: Anthropology of Global Climate Urgency

The aim of this project is to deepen our understanding of and engagement with climate change by focusing on the concept of 'urgency.' Twelve doctoral candidates conduct ethnographic research across Africa, Latin America, Asia, and Europe to explore diverse perceptions of environmental and climatological urgency, their temporal dimensions, and the political and environmental implications of these understandinI graduated with honors in Anthropology from the University of Rome “La Sapienza” and earned a PhD in Anthropology of Complex Societies at the University of Catania. After a postdoctoral fellowship at CERCO (Center for Anthropology and Epistemology of Complexity), I began working as a researcher at the University of Bergamo in 2005 and later became an associate professor in the Department of Political and Social Sciences at the University of Catania. The doctoral students also acquire transferable non-academic skills by working with organizations that disseminate scientific knowledge or operate in political or development-related contexts. This project is a collaboration between five European universities (KU Leuven University, University of Edinburgh, Halle University, Uppsala University, and the University of Catania) and seven non-academic partners. It is a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Network, funded by the European Union, running from 2023 to 2027. I am one of the Principal Investigators and the primary supervisor of doctoral students Luisa Mohor, Suranga Lakmal, and Avishka Sendanayake. Read more about C-URGE here: https://www.c-urge.eu/

BioTraCes: Biodiversity and Transformative Change for Plural and Nature-Positive Societies

BIOTraCes aims to co-produce knowledge that contributes to transformative strategies for preserving and restoring biodiversity in Europe. The project focuses on understanding the relationships between values, power, and behavior to address the underlying drivers of biodiversity decline. This will be achieved by embracing principles of pluralization, empowerment, politicization, and embedding—building capacities for innovation and fostering transformative governance that is adaptive, plural, and equitable, with the goal of creating just and nature-positive societies. We practice what we preach by engaging with transformative initiatives in sectors with high impact on biodiversity (agriculture & food, forestry, water, and urbanization) across Member States in Europe, involving an active Influencer and Stakeholder Board. The project is a collaboration between 9 European universities and 9 non-academic partners, funded by the HORIZON Europe Program, and runs from 2022 to 2026. I am responsible for coordinating the case study research across the consortium and serve as the scientific coordinator for the transdisciplinary research team at the University of Catania. Read more about BioTraCes here: https://www.biotraces.eu/

Energy Commons: Participatory Process, Critical Resources Management, Communities Response to Contemporary Socio-Economic Frictions

This project examines energy communities through ethnographic and legal research to better understand their role in adopting, implementing, and managing renewable energy sources such as photovoltaic, wind, and biomass. The primary aim is to map the complex relationships between local and supra-local actors as they address energy, environmental, and social sustainability challenges. The research also delves into frictions within these communities over managing renewable energy as shared resources, exploring internal governance, self-regulation mechanisms, as well as local interactions and transnational forms of dependence, if present. We will highlight how bottom-up initiatives and top-down policies negotiate responsibilities and resolve tensions at different scales. Funded by the Italian Ministry of Education and Research under the PRIN PNRR 2022 call, the project runs from 2023 to 2025. I serve as the scientific coordinator for the UNICT research team. Read more about ENERGY COMMONS here: https://www.facebook.com/energycommons



VISUALIZZA LE PUBBLICAZIONI
N.B. l'elevato numero di pubblicazioni può incidere sul tempo di caricamento della pagina
VISUALIZZA GLI INSEGNAMENTI DALL'A.A. 2022/2023 AD OGGI

Anno accademico 2021/2022


Anno accademico 2019/2020


Anno accademico 2018/2019


Anno accademico 2017/2018


Anno accademico 2016/2017


Anno accademico 2015/2016

Gli studenti interessati a svolgere una tesi con relatore la Prof.ssa Benadusi devono seguire le indicazioni contenute in questa pagina.

L'assegnazione delle tesi di laurea, sia per il corso di laurea triennale che per il corso di laurea magistrale, avviene attraverso un appuntamento con la docente. Per fare domanda gli studenti interessati possono inviare una e-mail all'indirizzo: mara.benadusi@unict.it con oggetto: "RICHIESTA TESI DI LAUREA". Al primo colloquio è bene arrivare con proposte concrete di argomenti, in modo da discuterne la fattibilità con la docente. Se la tesi verrà accordata, lo studente dovrà sollecitamente concretizzare l’idea iniziale, scaturita dalla scelta dell’argomento, in un progetto. Il lavoro preventivo da svolgere sarà quello di una ricerca delle fonti e della letteratura sll’argomento. Anche il Relatore segnalerà al laureando una serie di documenti e pubblicazioni, di carattere scientifico o meno, utili come punto di partenza dell'analisi. Terminata questa fase, lo studente elaborerà il PROGETTO iniziale di tesi, che dovrà essere adeguatamente articolato, comprendendo:

  • le informazioni sulle fonti e sulla letteratura critica esaminate in via preliminare;
  • gli obiettivi che la tesi si prefigge, le ragioni della loro scelta e gli interrogativi scientifici cui la tesi di laurea intende rispondere;
  • gli strumenti e i metodi di indagine che si intende utilizzare per il conseguimento degli obiettivi;
  • l’indicazione bibliografica della letteratura critica consultata.

Il progetto così redatto dovrà essere discusso dallo studente con il Relatore, il quale dovrà approvarlo e potrà modificarlo o integrarlo con indicazioni e suggerimenti. Quindi, nelle settimane a seguire, lo studente sarà invitato a stendere un indice ragionato che servirà da ipotesi di lavoro e da preventiva programmazione delle attività da svolgere. Tale indice, proprio in quanto preliminare, sarà dinamico, non statico, e potrà essere sottoposto a modificazioni nel procedere del lavoro di indagine. È consigliabile, comunque, che le modifiche più importanti che si intendono apportare al progetto iniziale, maturate nel corso dell’attività di ricerca, siano discusse dallo studente con il Relatore, che ne valuterà l’opportunità.

In caso di PLAGIO, la docente annullerà immediatamente il lavoro di tesi. Nell’ambito del diritto d’autore, il plagio è definito come l'appropriazione tramite copia totale o parziale della paternità di un'opera dell'ingegno scritta da altri, anche quando siano inserite nella propria opera solo parti di altre senza indicarne la fonte. Nelle tesi di laurea il plagio si può manifestare in diverse forme:

  1. copia-incolla del lavoro di un’altra persona, parola per parola, senza una corretta citazione diretta;
  2. parafrasi del lavoro di un’altra persona senza la corretta citazione della fonte;
  3. una teoria o il pensiero di un’altra persona presentato come proprio, senza indicarne l’autore e la fonte.
  4. un lavoro scritto da un’altra persona presentato come proprio, anche nel caso in cui l’altra persona sia d’accordo.

 

Per compilare la bibliografia della tesi, si prega di seguire queste indicazioni: COME COMPORRE LA BIBLIOGRAFIA PER LA TESI