Internship reports
Polina Tuzova
I completed my Master’s degree in Political Science but soon realized that my academic interests extended beyond this discipline, particularly toward memory studies. In order to build a solid theoretical foundation and gain exposure to research in this field, I began seeking opportunities within the Memory Studies Association. This is how I discovered LIMS at the University of Trento, and I am truly grateful that my first steps in this research area took place during this internship.
Professor Giorgia Proietti’s comprehensive and well-structured course laid the groundwork for my subsequent academic work. The numerous seminars and events of the Laboratory significantly broadened my understanding of scientific research, my awareness of the range of research questions addressed in memory studies, and my knowledge of methodological approaches. Professor Giuseppe Sciortino was an excellent scientific mentor, while Professor Giorgia Proietti ensured my full integration into the scientific life of both the Laboratory and the University. Collaborating with another intern was also fruitful. University and professors provided ample resources for independent research and for improving my proficiency in the Italian language. Finally, it was the data session (and the preparation for it) during the internship that allowed me to find the lens through which I continue to explore the memory of the 1990s in Russia, and after the internship, I continued working on my research article.
This internship allowed me to build an impressive academic network, acquire worthwhile knowledge and experience, and generate many fresh ideas. My internship at LIMS truly became a springboard for my academic career in a new field and intellectual environment.
Ben Cassell
3rd year PhD student, King’s College London, recipient of the spring internship 2025
Having been awarded the Spring internship with the LIMS project, I worked in various capacities during my stay with the University of Trento between March 10th –May 20th 2025. With my doctoral thesis being inherently based on an examination of Cultural Memory in Classical Athenian antiquity, the work being done within the remit of the LIMS project has of course been of a great interest for a number of years, and indeed I am lucky that this was not my first time having been involved with various outputs (previously attending the international workshop Memory, Space and Mindscapes in 2023 and the Summer School of 2024).
The course of research, classes and presentations enabled by my time in Trento was immensely beneficial and highly stimulating. The course series delivered by Giorgia Proietti on Memory Studies was impressive both in its scale and depth, while being incredibly approachable. I was fortunate to be able to attend the majority of these sessions (a few missed due to illness). Even as a researcher, who has worked with Memory Studies for a number of years, I found this course to be highly informative and illuminating for areas of the field I have less grasp on. Likewise, the research culture enabled by the LIMS lunch seminars was very impressive, and the wealth presentations delivered at these events was very stimulating. I delivered my own paper in one of these seminars on the 8th of May. I was also afforded the opportunity to present a guest lecture in the same month, and the feedback from the audience and conversation generated was particularly helpful. As well as this, I was included in an array of differing activities and events taking place as part of the LIMS project of the wider activity of the Department. This included attendece at the FeBo conference in early March, my being able to provide an exert of an ancient text (Plutarch’s Life of Theseus) at a Data session and acting as a discussant at the workshop Transformations and ruptures in urban spaces: A diachronic and interdisciplinary perspective in May. During my time in Trento and owing to the excellent research environment and resources I began work on compiling a near comprehensive bibliography coving the application of Memory Studies within the study of Classical antiquity, the Near East, Egypt and other ancient cultures. This work has been done on behalf of the LIMS project, and it is believed this will provide an invaluable resource for future scholars examining the presence and role of memory in ancient contexts. I wish to offer my sincerest thanks to Giorgia Proietti who offered me both an incredably warm welcome and invaluable tutelage during my time with the University of Trento which indeed could not ask for a better ambassador.
Marco Simonetti
Alumnus of the MA in East European and Eurasian Studies (MIREES), University of Bologna, recipient of the fall internship 2024
During my master’s, I gradually approached the realm of memory studies, with a particular focus on the politics of memory in Russia and Russian-occupied Ukraine. As I was finalising my dissertation in spring 2024, my interest in memory and trauma studies grew, and this brought me to apply for an internship at LIMS. Straight after my thesis defence, I embarked on this experience, unaware of how enriching my time in Trento would be. By attending the course Introduzione ai Memory Studies, led by Professor Giorgia Proietti, I finally had the opportunity to broaden my knowledge of such a multidisciplinary field, its theories and methodologies. As Trento is an academically vibrant city, university conferences and LIMS seminars were great opportunities to meet and connect with peers and researchers in memory studies and other fields, such as international relations and sociology. At LIMS, I even had the opportunity to present my master’s dissertation. Moreover, the expertise offered by Professor Giorgia Proietti and Professor Giuseppe Sciortino was pivotal in guiding me through the drafting of my first research article. All of this happened in a professional and non-formal environment. LIMS was definitely the best choice for a recent graduate entering academia.
Noreen Kane
3rd year PhD student, Univ. of Cork, recipient of the fall internship 2024
As my doctoral project on the representation of intergenerational trauma in postcolonial women’s literature in Italy progressed, concepts from Memory Studies began to form an ever-more prevalent component of my theoretical framework. Having the opportunity to spend two months as an intern with LIMS at the University of Trento in the final year of my PhD was extremely beneficial. The Masters course led by Professor Giorgia Proietti, “Introduzione ai memory studies”, helped contextualise and consolidate the theories I had come across independently, providing a clear overview of the field and its landmark texts. As part of the internship, I had the possibility to present my research to a group of memory studies scholars from various disciplinary backgrounds, which provided fresh perspectives and valuable feedback on my work.
In addition, the many seminars and events organised by the Literature and Sociology Departments at the University of Trento meant that I could immerse myself in my specific research interests and develop my Italian language skills. I was often surprised by subtle differences in perspectives on themes I was working on in relation to colonialism and migration, which proved particularly fertile for my research.
Conversations with Professors Giorgia Proietti and Giuseppe Sciortino, along with the other memory studies scholars I was lucky to meet at Trento, have made their way into my thesis. The period in Trento brought me into contact with an open and vibrant research community that I hope to continue to collaborate with in my future studies. I would highly recommend the internship to any postgraduates wishing to deepen their knowledge of Memory Studies and to have the opportunity to dialogue with scholars approaching Memory from different disciplinary backgrounds.
Victor G. Martinez
Postgraduate student, recipient of the spring internship 2024
These past two months, from March 1st to May 9th, I was fortunate enough to be the recipient of an internship at the LIMS (Interdepartmental Laboratory Memory and Society) in the Università di Trento, under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Giorgia Proietti. During this time, I assisted to her course on Memory Studies, the discipline I want to work on in the future, where I finally got to formally educate myself on several concepts regarding Memory Studies that I had picked up on my own, understanding the chronology of this young discipline, as well as learning about more nuances and concepts within the field. I also assisted to several relevant seminaries with an interdisciplinary focus, and I also used the facilities in the Humanities Department and the Central University Library to work on my own doctoral project on the Muses as mnemonic devices in the construction and maintaining of Greek cultural memory. Prof. Dr. Proietti was kind enough to help me in this personal research, with meetings in which she helped me draft my research proposal, suggested ways to start gathering the sources for my project, and aided me in my quest to find a suitable PhD project, be it in Italy or elsewhere.
I end this internship really encouraged to continue learning and to develop professionally within the field of Memory Studies, in order to contribute and expand to this young discipline. It was an experience I will never forget, and I am convinced that I will return to Trento in the future.