Incoronata (Nadia) Inserra

PhD, English, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (USA)
MA, Cultural Studies in Asia/Pacific, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (USA)
Doctorate, Anglophone Literature, University of Rome La Sapienza (Italy)
Laurea (MA), Comparative Studies, University of Naples “L’Orientale” (Italy)

Specialization: Folklore and heritage studies, cultural sustainability, racial and social justice, global migration processes, food studies

I grew up in Naples, southern Italy, where I earned a degree in Comparative Studies with specialization in American & Japanese languages and literatures. This led me to pursue graduate research in Japanese-American literature from Hawai‘i, and eventually led me to continue my graduate studies at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.

My research and teaching experience in Hawai’i familiarized me with issues of sustainability related to tourism development and settler colonialism, and also taught me about indigenous land rights and sense of place. These lessons ultimately sparked my interest in the revitalization of local and oral/traditional cultures as a means of achieving social and cultural sustainability. It also inspired me to compare the colonial exploitation of Hawai'i's and southern Italy’s resources, as well as cultural revitalization efforts in both places–as shown in my book Global Tarantella: Reinventing Southern Italian Folk Music and Dances (Illinois Press, 2017)

As an instructor at Virginia Commonwealth University, I continued teaching and researching the relation between land development and social/racial justice within local African-American communities and with a focus on the Confederate monument debate. I also examined the revitalization of this debate within the 2020 BLM protest movement.

Finally, after 18 years in the United States, I joined the ALESS/A program in 2022 and the Center for Global Education in 2023. My current research explores the sustainability of Japan's small fishing communities in light of climate change and ageing population; I am particularly interested in how these community struggles affect the livelihood of traditional cultural practices such as festivals, food, and crafts.

As an instructor, my goal is to help you cherish yours and other cultures while also reflecting on these local cultures from a global perspective.
To me, a global mindset means moving beyond, and actively challenging cultural stereotypes; it also means practicing cultural empathy and cultural humility in our daily lives.
In the process, you will also learn a lot about yourself, both as a citizen and a human being.
I believe that we should all get to experience such a mental journey, no matter where in the world we decide to live.