Iasems - Italian Association of Shakespearean and Early Modern Studies

06/08/2026

From 20 to 26 July, the University of Verona hosted the International Shakespeare Association’s 12th World Shakespeare Congress: ‘Planetary Shakespeares’—and what an extraordinary week it was!

It was an exceptionally rich conference, packed with a powerhouse scientific programme featuring brilliant keynotes, insightful panels, interactive seminars, and engaging workshops. But the inspiration didn’t stop in the lecture halls—the event was equally vibrant outside of them, thanks to an incredibly stimulating lineup of cultural events, from live concerts and theatrical shows to exciting book launches.

The event was held under the auspices of prestigious institutions, and the Italian Association of Shakespearean and Early Modern Studies (IASEMS) is proud to be among them. Our members were thrilled to both contribute to and benefit from such a dynamic international exchange of ideas.

Our sincere gratitude goes to the Skenè Local Committee, the Advisory Board, the Programme Committee, and the Congress Committee.

Special thanks to Silvia Bigliazzi, Emanuel Stelzer, and the entire Verona team for their incredible vision, dedication, and hospitality in making this congress an overwhelming success.

17/07/2026

📚 New Publication!

We are delighted to announce the publication of Textual Genealogies and Shakespeare's History Plays by Gary Taylor and John V. Nance.

This important new volume offers fresh perspectives on Shakespeare's history plays, exploring the complex genealogies of the texts and providing new insights into the long-debated issue of the bad quartos and the value of performative documents in textual scholarship.

Enriched with 12 illustrations, 12 figures, and 4 audio files, the book is accompanied by a concise three-minute video abstract introducing its main arguments.

📖 Read more and access the book here: https://www.cambridge.org/core/elements/textual-genealogies-and-shakespeares-history-plays/BDC57FC9B9C7571D1DE3BD3809C2E20E

🎥 Watch the video abstract here: https://vimeo.com/1134116519

This Element reconsiders the historical, theoretical, racial, ableist, and editorial problem of genealogy by analyzing to-be-spoken genealogies in two plays in the 1623 Shakespeare First Folio: the “Salic Law” speech in Henry V and the “seven sons” scene in Henry VI, Part Two. Both passages ...

27/06/2026

Siamo lieti di condividere l'articolo che Ateneapoli ha dedicato al XVII Convegno IASEMS, Affective Shakespeare and the Early Modern Imagination: Empathy, Voice, Spectatorship, ospitato dall'Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II. Buona lettura!

12/06/2026

Elementi in Tempesta, concerto shakespeariano nato nell’ambito del Prin 2022 Applied Shakespeare, torna in una nuova cornice, il Complesso di Santa Maria della Pietà, portando sonorità provenienti dalle diverse tradizioni musicali del mediterraneo in uno spazio che, un tempo simbolo di esclusione, diventa oggi un luogo dedicato alla cura e alla cultura grazie al lavoro svolto nell’ambito del Piano Urbano Integrato (PUI) di Santa Maria della Pietà, frutto della collaborazione tra Roma Capitale Municipio XIV, ASL Roma 1, Università Luiss Guido Carli.

La realizzazione di questo evento, parte delle attività di rigenerazione immateriale del complesso svolte nell’ambito del PUI, deve la sua realizzazione alla collaborazione tra Roma Capitale Municipio XIV, ASL Roma 1, Università LUISS Guido Carli, LabGov ETS, il Dipartimento di Lingue, Letterature e Culture Straniere dell’Università Roma Tre e la Fondazione Silvano Toti, con il patrocinio del Museo Nazionale degli Strumenti Musicali e dell’Italian Association of Shakespearean and Early Modern Studies (IASEMS).

Con
Juliano Abramovay
Sarra Douik
Sara Maria Fantini
Michele Gazich
Maddalena Pennacchia

03/06/2026

The wonderful 17th IASEMS Conference at the Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II came to a beautiful close last Saturday. A visit to Pio Monte della Misericordia to admire Caravaggio’s Sette opere di Misericordia was the perfect finale to an inspiring event exploring 'Affective Shakespeare and the early modern imagination: empathy, voice, spectatorship.’ “Affect” was far more than just our academic topic; it was a lived experience, felt deeply through the immense warmth and hospitality with which the convenors hosted us. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the organizers and our brilliant keynote speakers for guiding our thoughts and creating such a welcoming community. A special thank you goes to all the speakers, the inspiring early career scholars from the graduate session, and every IASEMS member who traveled to join us. We head home with minds full of fresh inspiration and hearts full of fond memories—until next time!

01/06/2026

Congratulations to the winners of the IASEMS Mariangela Tempera Book Prizes (2026)

🏆 The IASEMS Mariangela Tempera Book Prize is awarded to Massimiliano Morini for The First English Pastor Fido (1602) (Modern Humanities Research Association, Tudor and Stuart Translations 28, 2024).

🏆 The IASEMS Mariangela Tempera Early Career Book Prize is awarded ex aequo to Beatrice Righetti for Shakespeare’s Shrews: Italian Traditions of Paradoxes and the Woman’s Debate (Routledge, 2025) and Silvia Silvestri for Intrecci anglo-italiani sulle scene elisabettiane. Ariosto, Gascoigne, Shakespeare (Cacucci Editore, 2024).

We warmly congratulate all three winners on this well-deserved recognition and celebrate their valuable contributions to Early Modern Studies.

31/05/2026

We are thrilled to applaud the winners of the 2026 BURSARIES FOR EARLY-CAREER IASEMS MEMBERS (17th IASEMS Conference, University of Naples Federico II): Kat Addis; University of Sussex; Raffaella Cappello, University of Padua; Carmen Ruiz Demetriou, University of Granada.

05/05/2026

📣We’re delighted to share the programme for the Seventeenth IASEMS Conference, “Affective Shakespeare and the Early Modern Imagination: Empathy, Voice, Spectatorship”, which will take place at the University of Naples Federico II (Naples, 28–30 May 2026).

‼️Registration is now open!

For further information, please contact: [email protected]

26/04/2026

La Radio a Teatro: Romeo e Giulietta – A Crime Story
28 Aprile 2026 • h. 19.30
Teatro Palladium

Adattamento per la scena: Lucia Esposito e Maddalena Pennacchia
Regia teatrale: Ilaria Diotallevi
Regia radiofonica e Sound Design: Andrea Cocco
Attori: Membri della compagnia radiofonica Literary Soundscapes
Intervengono: Maurizio Ascari, Lisanna Calvi, Lucia Esposito, Maddalena Pennacchia

https://www.instagram.com/p/DXgcb6mjFDc/?igsh=bzlzY3FpbmljOWh6