Current Position
Anna Lisa Tota is a Full Professor of Sociology of Cultural and Communicative Processes at the Department of Philosophy, Communication, and Performing Arts at Roma Tre University. Since 2022, she has also served as Vice Rector of the University with the responsibility for coordinating Third Mission activities. Additionally, she is the Chair of the Board of Directors of the “Oscar, Bice, and Cesare Castello” Foundation at Roma Tre University.
Career and Education
After obtaining a classical high school diploma in 1984 from Alessandro Manzoni High School in Milan, she graduated in 1990 with a degree in Political Science from the University of Milan, earning the highest honours (110/110 cum laude). In 1990 and 1992, she was awarded two E.C.P.R. scholarships from the Essex Summer School in Social Science Data Analysis and Collection at the University of Essex, UK, where she earned a Postgraduate Diploma in Social Science Data Analysis and Collection in 1995, followed by a Master’s degree in Social Science Data Analysis in 1997 from the Department of Government at the same university. From 1990 to 1994, she pursued her Ph.D. at the Faculty of Sociology at the University of Trento, where she earned a Doctorate in Sociology and Social Research Methodology in 1994. During her Ph.D. in 1992, she was a Visiting Scholar at the Department of Sociology at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) in the United States. From 1995 to 1997, she held a postdoctoral fellowship at the Faculty of Political Science at the University of Padua. From 2002 to 2004, she was a lecturer at the Faculty of Political Science at the University of Pavia. Later, from 2004 to 2011, she was an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at Roma Tre University. Since 2011, she has been a Full Professor at the Department of Philosophy, Communication, and Performing Arts at Roma Tre University.
Institutional Roles in Italy
Between 1998 and 2000, she founded and coordinated the national network of young gender studies scholars “30 something”, connected to the European network “NextGenderation”. In 1999, she served as a consultant for the Minister for Equal Opportunities, Laura Balbo. From 1999 to 2001, she was President of the Ministerial Study Commission “Gender, Generation, and Cultures of Differences”, established by the Ministry for Equal Opportunities. In 2000, she acted as an external consultant for the Minister for Equal Opportunities, Katia Bellillo, and from 2000 to 2002, she was a member of the Coordination Group of the Ministerial Commission “Between Women and Men: Generations and Knowledge”, also set up by Minister Katia Bellillo.
From 2002 to 2005, she served as Secretary of the Scientific Committee of the “Cultural Processes and Institutions” Section of the Italian Sociological Association (AIS). From 2005 to 2008, she was a member of the Scientific Council of the same section of the Italian Sociological Association.
From 2014 to 2017, she was elected Coordinator of the “Cultural Processes and Institutions” (PIC) Section of the Italian Sociological Association (AIS).
In October 2018, she was appointed Chair of the Evaluation Commission for the tender to award the ideation, development, and implementation of the institutional campaign for Fondartigianato.
From 2021 to 2022, she was a consultant for the Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA), serving as Chair of the public competition for the recruitment of four communication officers.
Since November 2022, she has participated as an external expert in the Roma Capitale Statute Commission on Technological Innovation, chaired by Riccardo Corbucci, attending sessions for granting honorary citizenship of the city of Rome to Patrick Zaki, Narges Mohammadi (2023 Nobel Peace Prize), Rafael Mariano Grossi (Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency), and Julian Assange.
In 2022-2023, she was part of the commission appointed by the Bank of Italy for the selection process of three expert communication officers. Since 2023, she has been a member of the Advisory Board of the Observatory on Gender Equality and Diversity in Audiovisual Media, established at Link Campus University.
In 2023-2024, she was appointed to the Scientific Committee of the second edition of “Sociological Dialogues”, organised by the University of Salerno.
For the 2024-2028 term, she has been appointed to the Technical Committee of the Michetti Foundation for the awarding of the annual Contemporary Art Prize.
Since 2024, she has been a member of the Scientific Committee of the first-level Master’s Program in “Scientific Communication and Public Engagement” at the University of Camerino.
Institutional Roles at Roma Tre University
From 2007 to 2018, she was Director of the Roma Tre University Journal “Roma Tre News”, carrying out journalistic activities, and as such, was registered with the Order of Journalists. From 2009 to 2011, she was a member of the Programming Commission of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. From 2012 to 2015, she was elected to the Board of the Department of Communication and Performing Arts, Faculty of Arts and Humanities at Roma Tre University.
From 2014 to 2015, she was appointed to the Artistic and Scientific Council of the “Teatro Palladium” Foundation at Roma Tre University.
From 2019 to 2021, she was elected Academic Senator at Roma Tre University and a member of the Budget and Regulations Committee of the Academic Senate. From 2021 to 2023, she was re-elected for a second term in the Academic Senate of Roma Tre University, continuing her role in the Budget and Regulations Committee.
From 2020 to 2022, she was a member of the Board of Directors of the “Oscar, Bice, and Cesare Castello” Foundation at Roma Tre University.
Since 2022, she has been appointed by the Rector as Vice Rector with responsibility for coordinating Third Mission activities.
Since 2023, she has also been Chair of the Board of Directors of the “Oscar, Bice, and Cesare Castello” Foundation at Roma Tre University.
Member of the Italian Delegation of the Ministry of University and the Conference of Italian University Rectors (CRUI), representing Roma Tre University in Uzbekistan, September 23-28, 2024, for the FIRST UZBEK-ITALIAN EDUCATIONAL FORUM. Photo gallery, Video
Contact person for Roma Tre University for the “No Women No Panel” (PNWN) Protocol, signed with RAI, the Lazio Region, and the Rectors of Italian Universities.
Institutional Roles Abroad
In 1999, Anna Lisa Tota co-founded the Research Network “Sociology of the Arts” of the European Sociological Association (ESA) with Tia DeNora and a group of European sociologists, thereby contributing to the growth and dissemination of sociological studies on the arts in Europe.
From 1999 to 2001, she was appointed Vice-Chair of the ESA Research Network on Sociology of the Arts, and from 2001 to 2003, she was elected Chair of the same network.
From 1999 to 2010, she served as an Expert Evaluator for the European Commission in Brussels.
Between 2002 and 2006, she was a member of the Board of the Research Committee on Sociology of the Arts of the International Sociological Association.
From 2003 to 2005, she was a member of the Board of the ESA Research Network “Sociology of the Arts”.
From 2004 to 2006, she co-chaired the Equal Opportunities group at the Università della Svizzera Italiana (USI) alongside Maria Schubauer-Leoni.
From 2005 to 2006, she served on the Gender USI-SUPSI Commission at the Università della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano.
In 2005, she co-founded the Research Network “Sociology of Culture” of the European Sociological Association, with a large group of European sociologists, and became Vice-Chair for two consecutive terms (2005-2007 and 2007-2009). From 2009 to 2011, she was elected Chair of this Research Network, contributing to the consolidation of Cultural Sociology in the European academic landscape. From 2011 to 2013, she served as Former Chair and Board Member of the Research Network on Sociology of Culture of the European Sociological Association.
From 2012 to 2013, she was appointed External Reviewer for the Research Council of the University of Tampere in Finland, evaluating Research Fellowships submitted by professors and researchers.
Between 2013 and 2014, she served as a consultant for the Radicalisation Awareness Network (RAN) established by the European Commission to combat radicalisation and terrorism, and since 2014, she has been a member of RAN.
From 2013 to 2015, she was a Senior Member of the Board of the Research Network “Sociology of Culture” of the European Sociological Association.
From 2015 to 2017, she was again appointed Vice-Chair of the Research Network “Sociology of the Arts” of the European Sociological Association, a position she had previously held from 1999 to 2001.
In 2016 and 2018, she served as an Expert Evaluator for the Israel Science Foundation (ISF).
From 2017 to 2021, she was a Board Member of both the Research Network “Sociology of the Arts” of the European Sociological Association and the Research Network “Sociology of Culture” of the European Sociological Association.
Since 2021, she has been a member of the Advisory Boards of both the Research Network “Sociology of the Arts” of the European Sociological Association and the Research Network “Sociology of Culture”.
Since 2021, she has also been a member of the PhD-Student Research Award Committee for the European Sociological Association’s Research Network Sociology of the Arts.
In 2024 she is Reviewer for grant proposals for the National Science Centre Poland.
Scientific Associations
Anna Lisa Tota participates in the activities of the Cultural Processes and Institutions Section of the Italian Sociological Association, as well as those of the Italian Scientific Society of Sociology, Culture, and Communication. Internationally, she is involved in the activities of the Sociology of the Arts Section of the International Sociological Association, as well as the Research Networks on Sociology of the Arts and Sociology of Culture of the European Sociological Association. Since 2023, she has been a member of the Institute of General Semantics in New York and is registered with the Media Ecology Association (MEA) in the USA. She also participates in the activities of the Anticipation Studies Research Network at the University of Lancaster.
Editorial Activities in Journals and Series
Since 2006, member of the International Scientific Advisory Board of the journal “Cultural Sociology”, published by SAGE.
Since 2007, member of the Editorial Board of the “European Journal of Cultural Studies”, published by SAGE.
Since 2011, member of the Advisory Board of the journal “Music and Arts in Action”.
Since 2014, member of the National Scientific Committee of the journal “AG – About Gender”, an international journal of gender studies.
Since 2018, member of the Editorial Board of the journal “Trauma and Memory”.
Since 2021, member of the Scientific Committee of the semi-annual journal “Quaderni di Teoria Sociale”.
Since 2023, member of the Scientific Committee of the journal “Metis. Rivista di Scienze Sociali”.
Since 2023, Director of the editorial series “Comunicazione e Spettacolo – Fondazione Castello” published by Roma Tre Press, and Chair of the jury for the annual awards for the best Master’s and PhD theses in Communication and Performing Arts by the “Oscar, Bice, and Cesare Castello” Foundation.
Since 2024, member of the Scientific Committee of the editorial series “La Lechuza Sociológica de las Artes”, directed by Prof. Juan Antonio Roche and published by the Publications of the University of Alicante.
Since 2024, member of the Editorial Committee of the series “Custodi consapevoli della legalità” published by Roma Tre Press.
Additionally, from 2010 to 2017, she was a member of the Editorial Board of “European Societies”, published by the European Sociological Association. From 2016 to 2020, she was a member of the Scientific Committee of the “European Journal of Cultural and Political Sociology”, also published by the European Sociological Association.
She serves as a referee for numerous national and international journals, including: “American Journal of Sociology”, “International Sociology”, “Sociologie et sociétés”, “Studies in Communication Sciences”, “Qualitative Research”, “European Journal of Cultural Studies”, “Cultural Sociology”, “Mortality”, “Etnografia e ricerca qualitativa”, “European Societies”, “Music and Arts in action”, “Journal of Conflict Resolution”, “Poetics», “Memory Studies”, “Problemi dell’informazione”, “Space & Culture”, “Imago”, “Time & Society”, “Journal of Urban Research”, “Human Studies”, “Rassegna italiana di Sociologia”, “Review of International Studies”, “Quaderni di Sociologia”, “Scuola Democratica”, “ Cambio. Rivista sulle trasformazioni sociali”, “Journal of Cultural Analysis and Social Change”, “Heritage”.
She also acts as a referee for several publishers, including Routledge, Palgrave Macmillan, Sage, Carocci, and Franco Angeli.
Since 2023, she has contributed to various newspapers, including the cultural pages of “Il Sole 24 Ore”, “Il Fatto Quotidiano”, and “Il Corriere della Sera”.