PhD Candidate
Email: a
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Social and epistemic justice, Decoloniality, Transnationalism, Memory
Dora Labate is a Ph.D. candidate in Italian Studies at Rutgers University, expected to graduate in Spring 2026. Her dissertation, Echoes of the Unspeakable: Counter-Memory and the Reimagining of Belonging, examines contemporary Italian and diasporic narratives that challenge silenced histories and reframe questions of memory, identity, and epistemic justice. Her work bridges Italian Studies and feminist theory, exploring migration narratives as sites of epistemic justice and inclusive knowledge-making. Dora has presented her research at several national conferences and will chair a panel at NeMLA 2026. She recently served as a respondent for Writing a Life: Louise DeSalvo, Writer, Scholar, Teacher, engaging with archival practices and feminist memory. As an instructor, she designed and taught Literary Relationships: Exploring Contemporary Italy, a course that brought together students from diverse backgrounds—including M.A. candidates in teaching—to examine cultural encounters through theoretical frameworks that informed both textual interpretation and inclusive pedagogical reflection. Her broader academic interests include social and epistemic justice, decolonial critique, and the pedagogical implications of counter-memory in Italian and transnational contexts.