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Dr. Lidia Santarelli

Charles H. Revson Foundation Fellow
"Diplomacy of Aiding, Living Space, and the Jews: Fascist Italy and the Holocaust. Greece, 1940-1943"

Professional Background

Dr. Lidia Santarelli received a Ph.D. in history and civilization from the European University Institute, Florence, Italy, and a Laurea in humanities (B.A. and M.A. equivalent) from Università degli Studi “La Sapienza” in Rome. Prior to her fellowship at the Museum she was an Associate Research Scholar at Columbia University (2006-2007), and soon after her fellowship she began a new teaching position as Assistant Professor in European and Mediterranean studies at New York University. For her Charles H. Revson Foundation Fellowship for Archival Research, Dr. Santarelli conducted research for her project “Diplomacy of Aiding, Living Space, and the Jews: Fascist Italy and the Holocaust. Greece, 1940-1943.”

Dr. Santarelli’s research interests focus on Italian Fascism, nations, and nationalism in the Balkans; systems of occupation; and the history and memory of war crimes in post-1945 Europe. She has published widely on these topics. During her fellowship, Dr. Santarelli was awaiting the publication of her manuscript La Marcia su Atene. L’Italia Fascista e l’occupazione della Grecia 1940-43 [The March on Athens: Fascist Italy and the Occupation of Greece 1940-1943] (Bologna: Il Mulino). This book grew from her doctoral thesis on Fascist Italy’s occupation of Greece; a thesis that received the Rotary Prize from the European University Institute for best doctoral dissertation in history for 2003-2005. Dr. Santarelli is the recipient of other awards, including a 2005-2006 post-doctoral fellowship at Princeton University.

Fellowship Research

During her tenure at the Center, Dr. Santarelli conducted research on Fascist Italy and the Holocaust, with a focus on Salonika—the city with the largest Jewish population in Greece. Her case study also drew comparisons with the experiences of the Jewish populations in Rhodes, Corfù, Athens, and Dalmatia. Based on a vast array of unpublished sources, her research analyzed the controversial policy through which Fascist Italy addressed the Jewish population residing within Axis-occupied territories. Thus her study related to broader issues concerning the impact of the Italian rule on occupied societies, the crisis of the Fascist project for a New Order, and the relationships between Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy in Axis-occupied Europe.

Dr. Santarelli was in residence at the Mandel Center from September 1 to December 30, 2007.