Comparative Studies PhD Student Alessio Giovene Publishes Article on Disability and Feminism

Comparative Studies PhD student Alessio Giovene has published a new article, "'I Am Rooted but I Flow': Exploring the Nomadic Subject Between Disability and Feminism in Claudia Durastanti’s La Straniera” in Diasporic Italy: Journal of the Italian American Studies Association. 

The article examines Claudia Durastanti’s La straniera (2019) through Rosi Braidotti’s concept of nomadic subjectivity, considering how identity is shaped across experiences of migration, disability, language, gender, and family.

Abstract

Claudia Durastanti's  La straniera  (2019) voices the new generation of millennials who have grown up with a mobile mindset, reject rigid boundaries of national identities, and define themselves as expats. In Durastanti, this condition intertwines with her being a woman and having a deaf mother. This article shows that the two protagonists, Claudia and her mother, embody what Rosi Braidotti calls nomadic subjectivity. To this extent, the two women reject the normative and hegemonic idea of identity, adopting a nomadic figuration. This means they are rhizomatic figures, blurring identitarian boundaries and challenging social norms. This article is divided into three parts. The first part examines Claudia's Italian American identity and her plurilingualism, suggesting that her nomadic figuration involves a fluid ethnicity that this article calls “Italianamerican.” In the second part, it is claimed the mother's disability is fundamental in shaping nomadic subjectivity, as disability is a potential condition with porous borders. In the third and final part, it is argued that feminist agency is built through Claudia's coming of age, as she attains womanhood under her mother's guidance.

Read Alessio Giovene’s full article here: Article

Congratulations to Alessio on this exciting publication and his continued contributions to scholarship in disability studies, feminism, and Italian American literature!