MIUR - Department of excellence

Department of
Asian and North African Studies

News

Le parole dell’Asia: the DSAAM’s New Podcast
Le parole dell’Asia: the DSAAM’s New Podcast

Behind every word lies a story, and many of these stories have origins far away—in both time and space. Le parole dell’Asia traces the roots of selected terms, often ones we use every day, to (re)discover not only their etymology, but also the historical and cultural significance that has shaped them over the centuries and influenced their journeys. In each episode, different voices tell the stories of different words.
Le parole dell’Asia is a podcast series produced by Ca’ Foscari University of Venice – Department of Asian and North African Studies, conceived and directed by Stefano Pellò.
Listen to the podcast (in Italian) on Spotify and Spreaker.

An Endless Nakba: An Interview with Francesca Albanese
An Endless Nakba: An Interview with Francesca Albanese

“We are not facing a historical event that has ended, but an ongoing process.” With these words, Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, opened her talk at Ca' Foscari University of Venice's San Giobbe Campus on 11 May

QS Rankings by Subject 2026: Ca’ Foscari ranked among the top 100 universities worldwide for Classics and Modern Languages
QS Rankings by Subject 2026: Ca’ Foscari ranked among the top 100 universities worldwide for Classics and Modern Languages

Ca’ Foscari confirms its position in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026, with 14 international disciplines included, among which Modern Languages enter the global top 70 (rising from 77th to 69th place). This result highlights the university’s strength in language internationalization and teaching quality, further reinforcing its global presence in the humanities and social sciences.

All Department activities - Subscribe to our newsletter
All Department activities - Subscribe to our newsletter

Follow all the activities in the Department: workshops, conferences, symposiums... and also theatre and music! Check regularly our online agenda and subscribe to Orior Newsletter.

Welcome message from Laura De Giorgi, Director of the Department

"Our department is unique nationwide. It is a lively and dynamic place with a long tradition of studying and researching Eastern civilisations, which has developed at Ca' Foscari since its inception. In our courses, you can learn languages and explore cultures from a vast area spanning from North Africa to East Asia. Our research is multidisciplinary by nature, with many active laboratories and research centres. We also have exchanges and collaborations with Venetian institutions.”

Laura De Giorgi,
Director of the Department of Asian and North African Studies

Agenda

Caricamento...

Our research

Research areas

The Department of Asian and North African Studies offers a great variety of research topics, which reflects the great variety of interests of the teaching staff. This variety contributes to creating a stimulating environment; it promotes a multi-disciplinary approach; and it offers ample support to the most diverse research prospects. 

In order to help you navigate these ramifications, the staff’s main research interests are linked to linguistic and geographical areas, and organised in themes, in order to help you identify the research topics that the Department focuses on: Arabic studies, Armenian-Caucasian studies, Korean studies, Jewish studies, Indian studies, Iranian studies, Japanese studies, Chinese studies, Southeast Asian studies, and Turkish studies.  

 

Research projects
EJCM - Early Jewish and Christian Magical Traditions in Comparison and Contact

Supervisor: Joseph E. Sanzo
Length: 5 years (01/02/2020 - 31/01/2025)

FUZZFARM - Modelling of the early agricultural spread in south of the Eastern Europe

Supervisor: Paolo Biagi
Length: 24 months (15/03/2021 - 14/03/2023)

Publications

The research conducted at the Department of Asian and North African Studies results in internationally recognised scientific work, including contributions to journals, books, and conference proceedings.