Annachiara Raia Visiting Professor at University of Torino

In May–June 2025, Annachiara Raia will serve as a Visiting Professor at the University of Torino (UniTo), teaching Swahili Literature in Arabic Script and conducting research under the scientific supervision of Professor G. Acquaviva. Drawing from her NWO Veni project Portable Islam, she will engage students in the Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa programme and host a seminar for Swahili and Arabic BA/MA students. This opportunity aligns with the peak phase of her research, fostering intellectual exchanges within Italy’s Africanist network and inspiring future generations of scholars.

UniTo is one of the oldest Italian universities founded in 1404 under the initiative of Prince Ludovico di Savoia. The university stands out for its prestigious visiting programme and in the past it hosted well-known scholars such as Indian writer Amitav Ghosh.

Through a case study from the Swahili coast that will highlight how grassroots initiatives and indigenous knowledge interact in the safeguard of cultural heritage, Raia will also participate in the 2025 edition of the TOAfrica Summer School on 'Cultural and Natural Heritage in Sub-Saharan Africa: Policies and Practices' . Her work at UniTo strengthens ongoing activities and cross-disciplinary collaborations, for instance with the ASCL's CRG on African language archives, the InsulArchives panel at Africa-Asia 3 ConFest in Dakar, and with projects with NIMAR in Rabat. She looks forward to enriching UniTo’s academic community with insights on Swahili intellectual history, and manuscript-to-digital sociocultural transitions from the 18th to 20th centuries.

Photo right: Rectorate Palace of the University of Turin, credit: Unitomaster, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.