Public debates and historical reconstructions have long been – and still are – dominated in Italy by the self-indulgent myth of the “good Italian”, basically alien – as a national character – to any form of racism. To counter this pervasive representation with the tools of critical historiographical analysis, the CENTRA provides advanced historical research on national and transnational questions concerning the role of racisms - including antisemitism, colonial racism, antiziganism and Islamophobia – in Italian history (19–21th centuries).
Aside from the history of racism – and obviously in connection with it – a core focus of the CENTRA activities deals with the history of antiracism in Italy, by exploring its different ideological and political configurations, its methods and strategies, as well as the processes of its institutionalization. Although focused on Italy, the Centre aims to build an encompassing framework of interpretation that transcends national boundaries both in terms of research agendas and of scholarly interactions.
Based at the University of Genova, the Centre brings together historians with various methodological approaches and thematic perspectives, ranging from political to cultural history, from history of science to visual cultural studies and art history, from social history to law history. In collaboration with national and international partners, the CENTRA delivers research projects and fora that provide new insights on racism and anti-racism in Italy for academic, civil society and political communities.
Director: Prof. Francesco Cassata
Professor of Contemporary History, University of Genoa
Deputy Director: Guri Schwarz
Associate Professor of Contemporary History, University of Genoa
For more information about CENTRA's team
The Posen foundation labors towards one major goal: making Jewish education easily accessible to any eager and curious mind. Education is the key to it all. A well-informed society is a more just, a better society. Felix Posen, founded the Posen Foundation to reduce Jewish ignorance. One of the most fruitful paths to this vision has been through student and teacher training. Throughout the years we founded and supported many programs to train students and current and future educators. For more information go to Posen Foundation.
The Knapp family members have long been advocates of empowering individuals to reach their full potential. Their scholarship and internship programs are a catalyst to give young adults the opportunity to become prominent and successful servant leaders in their communities. Go to Knapp Family Foundation.
The Leibniz Institute for Jewish History and Culture – Simon Dubnow (DI) is an interdisciplinary institute for the research of Jewish lived experience in Central and Eastern Europe from the Middle Ages to the present day. The work conducted by the institute adopts a pan-European perspective, including also the spaces of Jewish emigration, especially Israel and America. For more information go to Dubnow Institut.
Established in 2004 by Tel Aviv University, the S. Daniel Abraham Center for International and Regional Studies promotes collaborative, interdisciplinary scholarship and teaching on issues of global importance. Combining the activities and strengths of Tel Aviv University's professors and researchers in various disciplines, the Abraham Center aims to integrate international and regional studies at the University into informed and coherent perspectives on global affairs. Its special focus is inter-ethnic and inter-religious conflicts around the world, with particular emphasis on possible lessons for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In the larger academic arena, the Abraham Center encourages excellence in research on international and regional issues, creating links with leading universities around the world in order to promote international exchanges in these vital areas among faculty and students. For more information go to S. Daniel Abraham Center for International and Regional Studies.
Centro Primo Levi offers public, academic programs and publications on Primo Levi and the history of Italian Jews and Judaism. Its main focus on 20th century totalitarianism expands to a history of over two thousand years in an ongoing effort to present the experience and perspective of a minority and its relation with mainstream culture in ancient and modern societies. For more information go to Centro Primo Levi .
The Zentralinstitut für Kunstgeschichte (ZI) in Munich is the only independent art historical research institute in Germany. As a research institution with both national and international orientation and networks, the Zentralinstitut is a locus of art historical research. With its rich program of scholarly events open to the public the ZI understands its role as a forum for scholarly exchange and discussion of current methodological issues and topics in art history. For more information go to Zentralinstitut für Kunstgeschichte.
The Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies (CHGS) promotes academic research, education and public awareness on the Holocaust, other genocides and current forms of mass violence. The center provides premier academic programs, fostering a community of students studying genocide and mass violence while cultivating the essential connection between scholarly inquiry, education, and outreach to different sectors of society. For more information go to The Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies (CHGS).