DEBORA SPINI - Study Abroad Florence Syracuse University of

Personal data:
DEBORA SPINI
CURRICULUM VITAE
Born in Florence, December 2, 1964.
Address: Via Marsilio Ficino 19, 50132 Florence, Italy
phone 055/ 57.37.84. or 0335- 83.72.747
fax 055/ 59.92.80 e.mail: daspini@syr.fi.it
Curriculum studiorum:
High School at the Liceo Classico Michelangelo
1990. Graduates magna cum laude at the Political Science School "Cesare Alfieri", University of
Florence, in the field of History of Political Thought. Dissertation: "Albori di pensiero
contrattualista all'epoca delle Guerre di Religione: le "Vindiciae contra tyrannos" fra teologia e
politica" (under the direction of prof. Antonio Zanfarino)
1991-1995. Ph.D. in History of Political Thought at the Scuola Superiore di Studi Universitari e di
Perfezionamento "S.Anna" in Pisa. Dissertation: "Diritti di Dio, diritti degli uomini: il pensiero
politico di Pierre Jurieu (1682 - 1690)".
1996-1998. Study grant at the Political Science School "Cesare Alfieri" in Florence under the
direction of Prof. Zanfarino.
1999. Research grant at the Political Science School "Cesare Alfieri" in Florence
SCIENTIFIC AND ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES
2001 – 2003 . Member of the Research Group on “Transnational Democracy” Funded by the
Ministero dell’Universita’ e della Ricerca Scientifica and co-ordinated by prof F. Cerutti (Florence
University) and prof. Virgilio Mura (Sassari University). Title of research: “0n the way to a
transnational public sphere”.
1999-2000: Member of the Research Group “Filosofie della globalizzazione” (Philosophies of
Globalisation) financed by the Italian Ministero dell’Universita’ e della Ricerca Scientifica under
the direction of prof. Furio Cerutti, University of Florence. Title of the research sector: Popular
sovereignty from modernity to globalization” .
. 1996-1997: Participation at the research project on Political Republicanism organized by the
Fondazione Agnelli in Turin under the supervision of prof. M. Viroli (Princeton University).
1994 Corso di perfezionamento in Philosophy at the Istituto S. Orsola Benincasa in Naples Etica e
contrattualismo (Ethics and Contractualism) under the direction of T. Scanlon (Harvard Univ.) e
S.Maffettone (Univ. Palermo ).
1993 Corso di perfezionamento in Philosophy at the Istituto Suor Orsola Benincasa in Naples
Razionalita' e moralita' (Rationality and morality) under the direction of R.Nozick (Harvard

University) e S. Maffettone (Univ. Palermo ).
Since November 1991. Member of the Seminario Interuniversitario di Filosofia Politica
(Interuniversity Working group in Political Philosophy) at the Dipartimento di Filosofia, University
of Florence.
CURRENT ACTIVITIES:
. Regularly cooperating with the Chair of Social Philosophy of the Facolta’ di Scienze Politiche
“Cesare Alfieri” in Florence (Political Science School), prof. Sergio Caruso.
Professore a Contratto (Adjunct Faculty) for the course on “Filosofie della Sfera Pubblica”
. Member of the National Research Group on “War, Conflict and New World Order” fudned by the
MURST. The special focus of the florentine group of such project will be on European institution
and perspectives of an European democracy. My specific focus will be on “A post national Public
Sphere”.
. Member of the Societa’ Italiana di Filosofia Politica (Italian association of Political Philosophers)
. Member of the Colloquium on Ethics, Politics, and Society, Libera Universita’ Guido Carli,
(LUISS) , Rome, co-ordinated by prof. Sebastiano Maffettone
. Member of the Seminar of Filosofia Sociale e teoria Critica (Philosophy and Critical Theory).
. Member of the Research Project “Etica e Relazioni Internazionali”, Centro Ricerca e Studio sui
Diritti Umani, LUISS - Rome.
.Member of the Seminario di Filosofia delle Scienze Sociali “Labirinto” of the School of Political
Sciences “Cesare Alfieri” of the University of Florence
. Member of the Scientific Advisory board of “Euroforum”
Euroforum is a non – profit organization whose mission is to organise high level cultural events on issues related to the life and development of the
European Union.
. Member of the Forum for the Problems of Peace and War
The Forum for the problems of Peace and War is a nation wide organization that gathers scholars
from various disciplines. It promotes scientific research on issues related to peace-making, war and
conflict, international relations at large. Currently member of two working groups: “Democracy
and fudnamentalism” and “War and Politics”.
. Member of the Advisory Board of the Facoltà Valdese di Teologia in Rome (The Protestant
Seminar in Rome).
. Member of Directing Board of the of the Istituto Gramsci Toscano
ACADEMIC/TEACHING ACTIVITIES AT SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY IN FLORENCE

. 1996 Fall / 1997 Spring, teacher in Political Theory at Syracuse University in Florence. Title of the
course: Cicero to Machiavelli, (authors examined: Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, Aquinas, Marsilius from
Padua, Florentin Civic Humanism, Machiavelli, Rousseau, Arendt, Popper).
. Since 1998 Spring, to the present day: professor at Syracuse University in Florence, teaching
courses in Political Science, Philosophy, and Women Studies. Among the courses taught:
Citizenship, Liberty and Justice in Western Political Thought (PSC/PHI 400.3).
Citizenship Rights and Identity: a history of Feminism in the West (PSC/WSP/PHI),
Identity and Difference (PSC /PHI 400.4)
Europe in the 20 th Century (PSC/HST 400.5)
. 2002 - : coordinator of the Academic Internship Program.
PUBLICATIONS
Monographies:
Diritti di Dio, Diritti dei popoli: Pierre Jurieu e il problema della sovranità (1681-1691), ed.
Claudiana, Torino, 1997.
Dove siamo a casa? The Pisan Lectures di Agnes Heller (editor) Milano, Angeli, 1999.
Essays:
. Il Traicté de la discipline et police Chrestienne di Jéan Morély, "Il Pensiero Politico", 1993, n. 1
. Il Traité sur le pouvoir absolu des Souverains di Elie Merlat, "Il Pensiero Politico", 1996. n. 2
. Michael Walzer, L'esodo dalla Rivoluzione, "Protestantesimo", n. 51, 1996.
. Al Dio Sconosciuto. Tolleranza fra pubblico e privato, in Dialettica pubblico privato, ed. Prof.
M.A. Toscano, university of Pisa (Proceedings of the 3d Italo-American Sociological conference)
. Once we were strangers too. Political identity and citizenship in Italy, in Millennium Haze,
Proceedings of the 4 th Italo-American Sociological conference, Patterson NJ-CUNY, NYC May
1999, Milano, Angeli, 2001
. La sovranita’ popolare dalla modernita alla globalizzazione, in D. D’Andrea, E. Pulcini, eds,
Filosofie della globalizzazione, Milano, Carocci, 2002
. The Birth of Religious Tolerance in the Early Modern Age, Georgetown University in Florence.
. Fear, Death Security, “Security dialogue” , vol. 33, n. 4, December 2002, Peace Research
Institute, Oslo
. “Spazio pubblico, spazio privato: uno sguardo di genere sulla citta’ globale”. In “La Nouva città”,
Fondazione Michelucci, 8 serie, N. 7, June 2003
. Book Reviews for: Il Pensiero Politico, Bollettino di Filosofia Politica, Iride, Protestantesimo,
Rivista Storica Italiana.

. I diritti umani: una nuova via alla legittimazione? In: Etica delle Relazioni Internazionali, S.
Maffettone e G. Pellegrino, eds., Costantino Marco, Cosenza (march 2004)
.Che vi sia ciascun lo dice: On the way to a transnational civil society , and Old ideas for a new
Europe: Johannes Althusius on Subsidiarity and Federalism, i Global Justice – globale
Gerechtigkeit, J.C Merle, ed., Global Justice – Globale Gerechtikeit, Comsbatt-Fromann-Holzbaag,
Bad-Stuttgart
. European identity between Myth and Narrativity , in Museum Europa, P. Burgess, ed., Norwegian
Academic Press (April 2004)
. Soon to appear:
Autonomia e
. Latest Papers Presented:
. October 1998, Geneva - Faculté de Théologie - Institut d’Histoire de la Réformation:
Géographie de l’ame, Pierre Jurieu ou de l’Intolérance moderée
. November 1998, Rome, Facoltà di Teologia, Conference on “Il destino della religione nel
Duemila”: “Identità religiosa, Identità politica”.
November 1998, Universita’ degli Studi di Perugia, Conference on L’Opinione pubblica europea e
la costituzione italiana del 1948, paper on “La costituzione Italiana nell’opinione pubblica della
Svizzera francofona” (The Italian Constitution of 1948 and French speaking public opinion in
Switzerland)
. January 1999, Turin, Fondazione Firpo: Pierre Jurieu fra Riforma e Modernità.
. May 1999, Paterson University (New Jersey) and CUNY, New York City: 4 th Italo-American
Sociology Conference: “Once we were strangers too. Political Identity and Citizenship in Italy”.
. November 1999: Imperia, Interdisciplinary conference organised by Universita’ degli Studi di
Genova “Le Eta’ della Vita”: “La forbice del tempo”,
. December 1999: Genoa, Conference on “La stagione dei frutti”, organised by Universita’ degli
studi di Genova and Istituto Italiano di Bioetica : “La fortezza che non cade. Riflessioni sulla
vecchiaia negli Essays di Michel de Montaigne”. (soon to be published in the Proceedings)
. November, 2000: Imperia, Interdisciplinary conference organised by Universita’ degli Studi di
Genova on “La citta’” title of the paper: “La citta’ come spazio pubblico in Johannes Althusius”.
. February 2001: Fiesole, Georgetown University: “The Birth of Religious Tolerance in the Early
Modern Age”
. February, 2001, Fiesole, European University Institute, Gender Workshop: “Space, Gender
and Politics: a few questions to Hannah Arendt”
. May 2001, Université de Lyon, International Conference on : A cosmopolitan public sphere”,
organised by University of Florence, University of Tubingen, University of Lyon
Title of the Paper: On the way to a transnational civil society” soon to be published in the
proceedings
(The same paper has been presented in November 2001 at the Scuola di Studi Superiori e di
Perfezionamento “Sant’Anna” in Pisa)
. November 2001, Fiesole, European University Institute, Gender Workshop: “ Between human
and Post-human: Donna Haraway and cyberg-feminism”.
. December 2001, Florence, International Conference on “Subsidiarity and Federalism”: title of the

paper, Johannes Althusius on Subsidiarity and Federalism (soon to be published in the
proceedings).
. January 2002, Prato, Corso di Aggiornamento (Training course for High School Teachers)
lecture on : “Feminism and Science: the Stand-point theory”.
. June 2002, Norwegian Cultural Institute in Rome, International conference on "Museum
Europa - Is there a European identity?" title of paper: European identity between Myth and
Narrativity (soon to be published in the conference proceedings)
. October 2002, Lyon, Université Jean Monnet, Colloque International “Exil et Persecution: juifs
et huguenots aux XVIIe et XVIIIE Siecle” title of paper “Jurieu entre Desert et Refuge:
persecution religieuse et identite politique” (soon to be published in the proceedings)
. March 2003, Fiesole, conference “Urbana: La citta’ dei generi e delle generazioni” title of paper:
“Spazio pubblico, spazio privato: uno sguardo di genere sulla citta’ globale”.
. September 2003: VI Annual Sociology Conference of Brazil, Unicampi, Campinas Estado de
Sao Paulo title of the paper: “Derechos Umanos y legitimitad democratica en la mundializacion”
. October 2003, Florence, Opening Conference of the “Labirinto” Seminar, School of Political
Science, title of the paper: “L’Agenda della democrazia”.