Biography
Chiara Mazzucchelli is Professor and Dr. Neil Euliano Chair in Italian Studies. She directs the Italian program and teaches courses in Italian language and culture, and seminars in Italian and Italian-American literature. She was Associate Chair of the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures from Spring '17 to Fall '21 and Provost Faculty Fellow for 2019-20.
She graduated from the University of Catania, Italy, with a Summa Cum Laude Laurea (M.A.) in Foreign Languages and Literatures. Through a Fulbright fellowship, she earned a Ph.D. in Comparative Studies at Florida Atlantic University.
She is the author of Bastimenti d’inchiostro: La Grande emigrazione nella letteratura siciliana (1876-1924) (Kalós, 2024) and The Heart and the Island: A Critical Study of Sicilian American Literature (SUNY Press, 2015), and has published articles in journals such as Italica, Campi Immaginabili, Nuova Prosa, Forum Italicum, and Altreitalie. From 2009 to 2018, she was editor-in-chief of the peer-reviewed journal VIA-Voices in Italian Americana, a semiannual literary and cultural journal dedicated to Italian-American studies.She is the recipient of several internal and external awards for teaching, research and service. In 2024, she received the title of "Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia" (Knight of the Order of the Star of Italy). This knighthood, the second highest civilian honor bestowed by the State, is conferred by the President of the Italian Republic and awarded to Italian citizens residing abroad who have demonstrated exceptional merit in promoting friendly relations and cooperation between Italy and their country of residence.
- Dr. Neil Euliano Chair in Italian Studies (Fall 2018-present)
- Director of the Italian Studies Program (2014-present)
- Provost Faculty Fellow (2019-2020)
- Associate Chair MLL (Spring 2017-Fall 2021)
Education
- Ph.D. in Comparative Studies from Florida Atlantic University (2007)
Research Interests
Italian Studies; Italian-American Studies; Migration and Diaspora Studies; Ethnic Studies
Creative Activities
American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) – Emerging Leaders Program (2020-2021)
UCF Academic Leadership Academy (2016-2017)
UCF Center for Success of Women Faculty – Career Transitions Mentoring Community (Fall 2016)
Publications
Books
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Bastimenti d'inchiostro. La Grande Emigrazione nella letteratura siciliana (1876-1924). Palermo: Kalós, 2024
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The Heart and the Island: A Critical Study of Sicilian-American Literature. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 2015.
Articles/Essays
- “‘Welcome to The White Lotus in Sicily!’ L’isola nell’immaginario collettivo e la Sicilia di Mike White.” Italica, 100.2, Summer 2023, pp.194-210.
- “Bedda: Il progetto siculo-americano e femminista di Gioia Timpanelli.” Campi Immaginabili I-II (2020): 390-402.
- “In Both Social Worlds at the Same Time: The Literature of Sicilian Americans.” Socioscapes: International Journal of Societies, Politics, and Cultures 1.1 (Winter 2019): 369-378.
- “La Merica for Children: Emigration in Luigi Capuana’s Gli ‘americani’ di Ràbbato.” Altreitalie 58 (2019): 60-77.
- “Roots and Routes: Immigration in Andrea Camilleri’s Montalbano Series.” Italica 95.2 (Summer 2018): 161-182.
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“Going Back to Go Forward: Nat Scammacca and the Antigruppo Siciliano.” Italian Americana 33.2 (Summer 2015): 186-199.
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“Ask the Lyrics: John Fante in Music.” Music and Society. Ed Alessandro Carrera. Spec. issue of Forum Italicum 49.2 (2015): 596-610.
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“‘The Scum of the Scum of the Scum’: Rose Romano’s Search for Sisterhood.” Journal of Lesbian Studies 18.3 (2014): 298-309.
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“Il diritto all’etnicità: Italoamericani nei legal thriller di Lisa Scottoline.” Essere o non essere italoamericani. Ed. Emanuele Pettener. Spec. issue of Nuova prosa 50 (2009): 129-45.
- “Bandits Like Us: Mario Puzo’s The Sicilian and the Italian/American Reader.” Reconsidering Mario Puzo. Ed. Chris Messenger, Michele Fazio, and JoAnne Ruvoli. Spec. issue of Voices in Italian Americana 19.2 (2008): 121-35.
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“Ethnic Regionalism in American Literature: the Case of Sicilian/American Writers.” Literary Regionalism. Ed. Joseph Yu. Spec. issue of Tamkang Review 38.1 (2007): 119-42.
Book Sections/Chapters
- “It’s not Personal. It’s Strictly Education: Sicily Reified in The Godfather.” Re-thinking The Godfather 50 Years Later, edited by Anthony J. Tamburri, Casa Lago Press, 2024, pp. 17-46.
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“The Bandit, the Gangster, and the American Army Shorts: Michael Cimino’s The Sicilian.” Mafia Movies: A Reader. Ed. Dana Renga. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2011. 134-140.
Book Reviews
- Review of The Godfather and Sicily: Power, Honor, Family, and Evil, by Raymond Belliotti. Italian American Review 12.2 (Summer 2022): 259-261.
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Review-Essay of By the Breath of Their Mouth: Narratives of Resistance in Italian America, by Mary Jo Bona, and Anti-Italianism: Essays on a Prejudice, ed. by William Connell and Fred Gardaphé. Journal of Modern Italian Studies 19.2 (2014). 209-211.
Miscellaneous Publications
- “Nofrio on the Telephone.” Italoamericana: The Literature of the Great Migration, 1880-1943. Eds. Francesco Durante, Robert Viscusi, Anthony Tamburri, and James Periconi. Fordham UP, 2014. 475-487.
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“Mi benedica padre.” By Fred Gardaphé. Essere o non essere italoamericani. Ed. Emanuele Pettener. Spec. issue of Nuova prosa 50 (2009): 185-96.
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Cristo si è fermato a Eboli: Learning Italian Through Film. New York: Edizioni Farinelli, 2009.
Awards
- 2025 UCF Research Incentive Award
- 2025 CAH nominee for the University Excellence in Professional Service Award
- 2024 Cavaliere dell'Ordine della Stella d'Italia (Knight of the Order of the Star of Italy) - Italy
- 2023 Kiwanis International Euno Award - Kiwanis Club Enna, Italy
- 2023 CAH Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award
- 2023 CAH Nominee for the University Excellence in Professional Service Award
- 2018 Research Incentive Award-RIA, UCF
- 2018 CAH Nominee for the University Excellence in Professional Service Award
- 2017 CAH Excellence in Research Award, UCF
- 2017 CAH Nominee for the University Excellence in Service Award
- 2014-2015 In-House Research Grant, UCF
- 2013 CAH Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award, UCF
- 2012 Teaching Incentive Program -TIP, UCF
- 2003-2008 Fulbright Fellowship, Florida Atlantic University/University of Central Florida
Courses
| Course # | Course | Title | Mode | Days/Times | Syllabus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 93067 | ITA3620 | Italian Through Food | Mixed Mode (M) | Tu 1:30 PM - 2:45 PM | Unavailable |
| 83386 | ITA3760 | Advanced Italian Oral Com | Mixed Mode (M) | Tu 10:30 AM - 11:45 AM | Unavailable |
| Course # | Course | Title | Mode | Days/Times | Syllabus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11697 | ITA3420 | Italian Composition | Mixed Mode (M) | Tu 10:30 AM - 11:45 AM | Unavailable |
| 19616 | ITW3101 | Survey of Italian Lit Ⅱ | Mixed Mode (M) | Tu,Th 1:30 PM - 2:45 PM | Unavailable |