Simone came to Australia from Italy in 2000. As a history graduate of the University of Trieste in Italy, he was interested in doing research on the immigration history of Italians in Australia. In Italy, Simone was fascinated by the immigration life histories told to him by elderly mosaicists and terrazzo workers from Friuli, which he interviewed for his tesi di laurea. Once in Melbourne, he was able to pursue his research interests on the immigration history of Italians by enrolling in a PhD program in Italian studies at La Trobe University. The topic of his thesis was the history and collective memory of the migrant workers organisation FILEF. Simone’s thesis was recently awarded the prestigious Centro Altreitalie prize for research on Italian Migration.
Simone was appointed Cassamarca Lecturer at Swinburne University on 22 February 2006. The Italian Studies program at Swinburne University is unique in Australia. It is housed within the Faculty of Business and it offers an unusual combination of a business degree in addition to providing competence and fluency in the Italian language; an understanding of modern Italian culture including the social, economic and political aspects; and an appreciation of the importance of the European Union in the business environment. It provides an insight into Italy's commercial and industrial sectors which have contributed to the making of the country the seventh leading economic power in the world.
The Cassamarca Lectureship aims to support the teaching and research activities undertaken in the areas of Italian, European Studies and International Business at Swinburne, on and off campus.
Every two years the Cassamarca Lecturer is actively involved in the four-week Treviso International Program, a formative international cultural experience for Swinburne students to improve their language competence, and a hands-on experience of the international business environment. The Treviso program forms part of the Faculty’s strategy to internationalise and it strengthens our association with the Cassamarca Foundation based in Treviso, Italy and the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice (Treviso).
Simone’s aim is to support and expand all the teaching and research activities of the Italian program. He is also very keen to foster the international and industry links of the program so as to enhance the university experience of Swinburne students.
Research Areas:
Simone’s research interests include the migrant political and socio-economic contribution to post-war Australia, Italian-Australian community history, and dual citizenship and voting rights.
He is actively involved in a number of research projects which concern the Italian community in Australia. Along with his colleagues, Simone is currently promoting several research activities in the area of dual citizenship and voting rights (public forums, quantitative surveys, publications).
Simone’s long-term goal is to raise the research profile of the school’s program.
Good teaching, a student-centred teaching style and active engagement with the students is what Simone most cares about. He recently convened a course on post-war Italy, and the Italian business courses (introductory and advanced). Simone also teaches applied language Italian to language students.
Since joining Swinburne University, Simone has been involved in the redesign and updating of the curricula of various courses, and since 2007 has collaborated in the reaccreditation process of the Italian double-degree program.
Involvement in Extra University Activities:
Treviso International Program: the Cassamarca Lectureship has given Swinburne Business students the opportunity to extend their boundaries and travel outside Australia as part of their course through the Treviso Program (2002, 2004, 2006 – 2008 forthcoming) and through student exchange with the University of Ca' Foscari, Venice - Treviso campus.
Dual Citizenship and Voting Rights: Simone was instrumental in organising and co-ordinating the public forum ‘Dual Citizenship and Transnational Voting Rights: An Australian perspective’ on 25 August 2006. Keynote speakers included renowned Australian demographer Professor Graeme Hugo, Carlo Carli MLA Member for Brunswick, and Hon. Marco Fedi, overseas-elected MP, Parliament of Italy.
4th Biennial ACIS Conference in Italian Studies, Brisbane, 10-13 July 2007: Simone chaired one of the two panel sessions on Economics and Business.
Community Outreach Activities:
Member of the Editorial Board of the Italian Australian Institute Papers journal (Italian Australian Institute Research Centre at La Trobe University, Melbourne) (www.iai.com.au).
Secretary of the Contemporary European Studies Association of Australia (CESAA) (www.cesaa.org.au).
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