This mini-symposium brings together scholars working at the intersection of Italian studies, media studies, and queer theory to explore how queer narratives are represented, reimagined, and contested across Italian media and cultural texts.

Presentations include:

• Julia Heim (University of Pennsylvania), “Queer Representation in Popular Italian TV,” examining LGBTQIA+ representation in contemporary Italian television and transnational media contexts.
• Emily Antenucci (Vassar College), “Queer. Pop. Italian? Lady Gaga,” considering questions of queerness, pop culture, and Italian identity.
• Alberto Gelmi (Vassar College), “Queering the Decameron,” offering a queer reading of Boccaccio’s classic text.

Julia Heim’s work focuses on LGBTQIA+ representation in contemporary Italian media. Her recent publications include Italian LGBTQ Representation in Transnational TV, Queer Italian Studies: Critical Reflections from the Field, and Why LGBTQIA+ Inclusivity Matters for Italian Studies.

Sponsored by The Dean of the Faculty Office; the Italian Department; the Women, Feminist, and Queer Studies Program; and the Media Studies Program.

Open to the public.