Giulia GAROFALO

Giulia Garofalo Geymonat is sociologist specialised in gender and sexuality, with a specific attention to intersectional inequalities and solid research and teaching experience both in Italy and internationally. Her research engages with theory while at the same time being empirically grounded and policy oriented. Her areas of expertise are reproductive work, migration/trafficking and disabilities.

Thanks to extensive training in social sciences (University of East London), and in gender studies (London School of Economics and Political Science, University of Utrecht, and University of Linköping), her long-term interest in researching stigmatized communities and their collective organisations has led her to develop a deep commitment to the study of intersectional inequalities - in particular with regards to gender, sexual orientation, migration, disability and class - and has motivated her to use collaborative research methods.

Before arriving at Ca' Foscari University of Venice in 2017, she worked at Lund University in Sweden. She was a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Post-Doc Resarch Fellow at Lund University Dpt. of Gender Studies, and a GEXcel Post-Doct Fellow at Linköping Dpt. Gender Studies. 

She has been senior researcher in the following research projects:

I-CLAIM: Improving the Labour and Living Conditions of Irregularised Migrant Households in Europe, EU Horizon Europe - with Sabrina Marchetti and Letizia Palumbo (2023-ongoing)

VULNER: Vulnerabilities Under the Global Protection Regime, EU Horizon - with Sabrina Marchetti and Letizia Palumbo (2022-2023)

DomEQUAL: A Global Approach to Paid Domestic Work and Social Inequalities, ERC Project - with Sabrina Marchetti and Daniela Cherubini (2017-2021)

She has been principal investigator of the following research projects:

RECAPS: Building evidentiary basis and REsearch CApacity on Sex work in Italy through participatory anti-oppressive methods (Independent Social Research  Foundation, ISRF Flexible Grants for Small Group Award) - with Giulia Selmi (2025-ongoing)

Access to Mental Health for People Who Sell sex. A Participatory Study on Germany, Sweden, Italy and Britain’ funded by Open Society Foundations - Public Health Program. With Nick Mai and PG Macioti (2016-2017)

Sexual Assistance. A project on sex-related services for people with disabilities in Europe - Marie Sklodowska-Curie IEF Award - (2012-2015)

WORK EXPERIENCE

15/03/2025 - present: University Ca' Foscari Venice, Dpt. Philosophy and Cultural Heritage

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR in Sociology (RTT, settore displinare GSPS-06/A)

Teaching: Sociology of the family, Social Movements, Gender and Sexuality

Research projects collaborations: 

- EU Horizon Europe I-CLAIM: Improving the Labour and Living Conditions of Irregularised Migrant Households in Europe

- Building evidentiary basis and research capacity on sex work in Italy through participatory anti-oppressive methods (Independent Social Research  Foundation, ISRF Flexible Grants for Small Group Award)

03/04/2020 - 04/03/2025: University Ca' Foscari Venice, Dpt. Philosophy and Cultural Heritage

SENIOR RESEARCH FELLOW in Sociology (Assegnista SPS/08) 

Amongst others, collaborations with the following European projects: 1) EU Horizon Europe I-CLAIM: Improving the Labour and Living Conditions of Irregularised Migrant Households in Europe n.101094373 (coordinating 1 research assistant) 2) EU Horizon 2020 Project VULNER: Vulnerabilities Under the Global Protection Regime n. 870845 (coordinating 1 research assistant) 3) ERC Project DomEQUAL: A Global Approach to Paid Domestic Work and Social Inequalities n. 678783(coordinating 3 research assistants)

Teaching: Sociology of the family, Gender Workshop, Gender and Sexuality

03/04/2017- 02/04/2020 University Ca' Foscari Venice, Dpt. Philosophy and Cultural Heritage

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR (RtDa) in Sociology. Teaching: urban studies, migration, public policies

01/09/2016 - 31/03/2017 Hydra e.V Foundation, Berlin

RESEARCH CONSULTANT, CO-PI ’Access to Mental Health for People Who Sell sex. A Participatory Study on Germany, Sweden, Italy and Britain’ funded by Open Society Foundations - Public Health Program. Principal Investigator with Prof. Nic Mai and Dr. PG Macioti (coordinating 6 peer research assistants) 

01/02/2015 - 30/01/2016 University of Lund, Dpt. Gender Studies

LECTURER. Teaching: Scandinavian Models of Equality, Theory of Science for the Social Sciences, Gender in a Global World, Social Sciences: Gender, Class, Ethnicity and Sexuality

01/11/2012-30/01/2015 University of Lund, Gender Studies

MARIE SKLODOWSKA-CURIE POST-DOC RESEARCH FELLOW 

Sexual Assistance. A project on sex-related services for people with disabilities in Europe (IEF Award N. 302299)

01/11/2010-28/02/2011 University of Linköping, Dpt. Gender Studies

GEXCEL POST-DOCTORAL FELLOW funded by GEXcel Program, Sweden, Research project on: Stigma and the class of ‘abnormals’

01/02/2003-30/12/2003 University of Siena, Dpt. Political Economy

RESEARCH FELLOW (Borsista di ricerca) NEWR Network of European Women’s Rights, funded by European Commission, FP5. Research theme: Trafficking and Sex Work

EDUCATION

2010 - University of East London, School of Social Sciences PHD IN SOCIOLOGY

2004 - Utrecht University, Institute History and Culture POSTGRADUATE PROGRAM IN GENDER

2003- London School of Economics, Gender Institute RESEARCH MASTER IN GENDER

2001 - Università di Bologna, Faculty of Economics BA&MA POLITICAL ECONOMY

HONOURS AND AWARDS

2025  Flax Foundation, Emma Goldman Snowball Award 

2024  Independent Social Research Foundation (ISRF) Flexible Grants for Small Groups

2020 Conseguimento Abilitazione Scientifica Nazionale (SSD SPS/08, 14/C2).

2016 Open Society Foundations, Public Health Program Grant 

2016 and 2017 ProPol COST Action Short Term Scientific Missions

2015 MIUR Program Young Researchers Rita Levi Montalcini 2014 (8th position)

2011 Marie Sklodowska-Curie European FP7 Fellowship

2010 GEXcel Gender Excellence Fellowship Sweden

2004 PhD Scholarship University of East London School of Social Sciences 

2003 Huygens Grant Netherlands Organization for International Cooperation in Higher Education 

2002 Study-Abroad Grant University of Bologna

2000 Erasmus Grant University of Bologna 

NETWORK MEMBERSHIP

International Sociological Association (ISA)

Associazione Italiana Sociologia (AIS)

Research Network for Domestic Workers' Rights (RN-DWR)

Standing Committee Gender and Sexuality in Migration Research (IMISCOE Consortium)

Gruppo di Ricerca Itaiano su Prostituzione e Lavoro Sessuale (GRIPS)

Rete nazionale di studi su genere e sessualita’(GIFTS)