Valeria G. Castelli is a 2018-20 Visiting Research Scholar at The Zolberg Institute on Mobility and Migration at The New School. Here, her research agenda focuses on how socially-engaged documentary filmmakers deal with contemporary migration, and confront pressing issues such as climate and mobility injustice, social inequality, discrimination, and racism, as well as how they can catalyze social and narrative change. Within The Zolberg Institute’s Cities and Human Mobility Research Collaborative, Valeria is spearheading the creation of a multi-media digital platform serving as a repository, virtual gallery, and incubator of new narratives about cities and human mobilities. She is also collaborating on two research projects on climate-induced migration to urban areas, and on housing and migrant communities in New York City in partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, and the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development. Prior to joining The Zolberg Institute, Valeria was a 2017-18 Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Mahindra Humanities Center at Harvard University, where her research focused on how documentary filmmakers deal with migrant discrimination and exploitation in contemporary Italy. This included the strategies they use to impact public debate and policy, and to persuade viewers to commit to action. In 2016-17, Valeria was a Postdoctoral College Core Curriculum Teaching Fellow at NYU, as well as a Connected Academic Proseminar Fellow at the Modern Language Association. In 2015-16, she was a Public Humanities Fellow at Humanities New York and the NYU Center for the Humanities (http://publichumanitiesfellows.org/remember-thetriangle-fire/). Valeria has published in international peer-reviewed journals, such as Studies in Documentary Film and The Italianist, as well as in the art magazine Flash Art. She has worked as Managing Editor of the peer-reviewed journal Gender/Sexuality/Italy, and as Curriculum Manager at Older Adults Technology Services—a nonprofit that engages, trains, and supports older adults in using technology to improve their quality of life, and enhance their social and civic engagement. Valeria holds a Ph.D. in Italian Studies from New York University, a M.Sc. in Political Science in Analysis, Prevention and Combat of Organized Crime and Corruption from University of Pisa, and a M.A. in Italian Studies from University College of London.
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