Profile

Maria Elena Seu (Ozieri-SS, 1977), Contemporary History scholar. 

In 2023, she worked as a fixed-term researcher at the Institute of Mediterranean European History. Since last March 1^st , she is working as a fixed-term researcher at the Institute of Mediterranean Studies (ISMed-CNR), in Milan. 

She graduated in 2008 in History of Europe at the University of Bologna. 

In 2008 she was fellow-student of the Department of History and Art History at the University of Trieste, thanks to the Master and Back project funded by the Autonomous Region of Sardinia. The same project funded another research grant at the Institute of History of Mediterranean Europe (Isem) – CNR, in Cagliari, from 2010 to 2012. 

She collaborated for several years, at the teaching section of the Istituto per la Storia e le Memorie del ‘900 Parri E.R. in Bologna, she was research fellow at the Institute of History of Mediterranean Europe (Isem) – CNR, in Cagliari. 

Her research activity has been mainly focused on the study of Cultural Heritage and Urban History between the 20th and 21st centuries. 

From 2017 to 2023, she was involved in Third Mission activities, which studied and analysed  21st century immigration. On this subject, she worked on the following projects:  

• Migration & Mediterranean. The Sardinia Observatory conducted a Training Course on our country’s Reception system, with the multidisciplinary involvement of research organizations, universities, local governments and government institutions. 

• Multihortis, Filhortis and Urbes Rura. This project saw the creation of a Training Course on vegetable gardens system as a good practice of receiving as well as a way of helping migrants hosted in CAS (Centro di Accoglienza Straordinaria/Extra-ordinary Welcoming Cemtre) to learn a job. 

Publications

Articles on books  

1. The Coastal Towers of Sardinia in the Contemporary Age, Proceedings of the conference “The Mediterranean between History and Innovation. Problems and perspectives, Viareggio 18-19, September 2021. In process of refereeing;
   
   
2. Urban gardens in a contemporary perspective. The case studies of Bologna and Sassari, in Alessandra Cioppi-Maria Elena Seu (ed.), L’orto alimentare dell’anima e del corpo. From hortus monasticus to urban gardens, Pisa Pacini Editore, 2020, pp. 41-54;
   
   
3. Editing the Introduction, in Alessandra Cioppi-Maria Elena Seu (ed.), L’orto alimento dell’anima e del corpo. From hortus monasticus to urban gardens, Pisa Pacini Editore, 2020, pp. 17-18;
   
   
4. Editing of the Introduction in Alessandra Cioppi-Maria Elena Seu (ed.), The Good Practices of the Reception System. Case studies, Pisa, Pacini Editore, 2021, pp. 17-20;
   
   
5. Urban gardens and the commons: a popular action in The Global City. The urban condition as a pervasive phenomenon / The Global City. The urban condition as a pervasive phenomenon in digital open access mode, Aisu (Italian Urban History Association) in the Series “Insights, 1”, Turin, 2020. G-19, G-31;
   
   
6. Carlofortine emigration to the Latin American continent between the Nineteenth and Twentieth centuries in Martino Contu, (ed.), Emigration to Latin America from the small islands of the Western Mediterranean. Cases of Capraia, Formentera, Giglio, La Maddalena, San Pietro, Sant’Antioco. Villacidro (VS), SEA Study Center, 2012. pp. 149-169;
   
   
7. The Cultural heritage in Mamma Mia on Moro! Stories of Ogliastra and Ways of Saying.” Proceedings of the Cultural Event, Ilbono (NU), November 26-27, 2011, Dolianova (CA), Edizioni Grafica del Parteolla – S’Imbentu Edizioni. 2011, pp. 55-75.

Projects

As part of the multidisciplinary scientific activity The Mediterranean and the Oceans: cultural transformations between history, literature and religion, which characterizes the research lines of the Milan branch of ISMed-CNR, Maria Elena activated collaboration on the following projects: 

• The history of the island of Asinara, from its origins to the present day, through the photographic sources of the cultural heritage on the island, which became Asinara National Park-Protected Marine Area “Asinara Island” in 1997. The project is being developed in collaboration with the Coastal Conservancy Agency of the Autonomous Region of Sardinia and The Italian Historical Institute for the Modern and Contemporary Age. 

• The implementation of the second part of the Training Course on the Reception System, through the involvement of Third Sector workers, migration scholars and social science students.