I am currently a postdoctoral fellow at the Eisenberg Institute for Historical Studies at the University of Michigan, having received my PhD in history from the same institution in 2007. My dissertation, “A Tale of Two Borders: Settlement and National Transformation in Libya and South Tyrol under Fascism,” relates Italy's colonial territories and its national borderlands, arguing that the Fascist regime sought to transform the borders of the nation by employing, in two very different settings, similar strategies of dominance.

My research and teaching are shaped by comparative, transnational, and interdisciplinary approaches, focusing on the agency and subjectivity of historical actors. I have specialized in the following areas: 19th and 20th century Europe with an emphasis on Germany, Italy, and Austria; gender in modern Europe and colonial Africa; and the economic history of the modern and pre-modern periods. This year I am teaching on comparative fascism in the fall semester and on post-1945 Europe in the winter.

I was born in Brixen/Bressanone, a small town in the Italian Alps, where I grew up speaking both Italian and German. After competing several years as a professional ski racer on the Italian National Team, I joined the Varsity Ski Team at the University of Denver, where I majored in Economics and Women’s Studies. I then completed a Master of Arts degree in International Studies while working as an assistant ski coach.