Lorenzo GALVAGNO
Tutor: Melania NUCIFORA
Lorenzo Galvagno (1997) is a PhD student in the course of Sciences for Cultural Heritage and Production (XL cycle) of the Department of Humanities (DISUM), University of Catania. He lives and studies between the provinces of Syracuse and Catania.
He obtained his master’s degree in Text Sciences for Digital Professions in the academic year 2022/23 at the University of Catania, with a thesis titled: «European Integration and its history. Study for an Ontology of the Semantic Web», with the supervisor Professor Melania Nucifora.
He has a bachelor’s degree in Science and Languages for Communication (curriculum: Languages for International Communication) obtained in the academic year 2019/20, also at the University of Catania. The thesis was titled: «Audience perception of LGBTQ+ representation in TV series: the "Sense8" case study». He had as supervisor the Professor Davide Bennato.
His research interests and studies focus on: Public and digital History; Contemporary and European Union History; Artificial Intelligence; Ontologies and Semantic Web; and the representation of minorities in the media.
He has spent three months from February to April 2026 as a visiting doctorate student at the Luxembourg Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C²DH) at the University of Luxembourg. Full professor in Public History Thomas Cauvin was his supervisor during the visiting period.
He will spend three months from September to November 2026 as a visiting doctorate student at the Department of History of Ghent University in the Public History and Ghent Centre for Digital Humanities groups. Assistant professor Julie M. Birkholz will be his supervisor during the visiting period.
He's a member of The International Committee for the Conservation of Industrial Heritage (TICCIH) since Febraury 2026.
He's a member of the Italian Society for the Study of Contemporary History since June 2025 (SISSCO).
He's a member of the Italian Society of Enviromental History (SISAM) since April 2025.
He's a member of the Italian Association of Public History (AIPH) since March 2025.
He's a member of the Association for Digital Humanities and Digital Culture (AIUCD) since January 2025.
His research project is titled: «Syracuse and the effects of industrialization. A digital approach to its historical memory». It explores the changes in the social, territorial and environmental context of Syracuse, following the industrialization of the area after the second World War, through the design of a georeferenced digital archive and physical museum of historical memory. It will document the industrialization of Syracuse and its province in written, oral, photographic, and cinematographic forms, following Public History methodologies and the Faro Convention principles. This project aims at collecting and systematise written and oral testimonies of the industrial history of Syracuse starting with a documentary core from a business archive. A key aspect of the research is constituted by the order of the private archive of the agricultural company Viridaria "Pupillo’s Cellars" of Syracuse (with documents dating between the 19th and the 20th century). These documents will be the focus of the first digitization phase. It will also be associated with the work of collection and analysis of the historical documents just mentioned. The digital infrastructure aimed at this purpose will be developed through the Omeka-S platform. The project envisions expanding historical sources by involving public institutions (such as the State Archive, schools etc.) and private stakeholders.
Participation in conferences as a speaker.
[Upcoming participation: September 3–5, 2026] The petrochemical complex and the city: Resources, waste, and territorial identity in the province of Syracuse (1950–1980). "3rd National Conference of SISAm (Italian Society for Environmental History): Environment and histories - From Antiquity to the present day," at the University of Calabria – Rende (CS).
The industrial landscape of the province of Syracuse: a journey into its collective memory (27/11/25). "CHAIN (Cultural Heritage Academic Interdisciplinary Network) Conference. Landscapes and Ecology of Culture. Between Humanity and Nature", at the Humanities Department of the University of Catania.
OWL Ontology on the European Integration Process between 1949 and 1979 (11/06/25). “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Challenges and Opportunities for Digital Humanities in the Age of Artificial Intelligence”, The 14th Annual Conference of the Association for Digital Humanities and Digital Culture (AIUCD), at the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures of the University of Verona.
Syracuse and the consequences of industrialization. A digital journey in its collective memory (04/06/25). Stories on the Move – 7th AIPH National Conference on Public History, at the Department of Linguistic and Cultural Studies of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. Book of Abstract AIPH2025. AIPH - Italian Association of Public History. https://doi.org/10.58079/142rv pp. 51-53
Project: “Syracuse and the effects of industrialization. A digital approach to its historical memory, from the 1950s to today.” (07/03/25). Conference "North of Syracuse", at the Cantine Pupillo company, in Contrada Targia of Syracuse.
Galvagno, L. [Peer-review pending] Faith, Community, and Industry: Between Cagliari and Syracuse. "Quaderni del LUDICa" 2025, (Digital Humanities Laboratory); UNICApress; University of Cagliari.
Galvagno, L. (2025) OWL Ontology on the European Integration Process between 1949 and 1979, in Rebora, S., Rospocher, M., Bazzaco, S. (edited by), «Diversità, Equità e Inclusione: Sfide e Opportunità per l’Informatica Umanistica nell’Era dell’Intelligenza Artificiale»; Proceedings of the XIV Annual Conference AIUCD2025. Verona: AIUCD. In: Quaderni di Umanistica Digitale. ISBN 978-88-942535-9-7. DOI 10.6092/unibo/amsacta/8380. pp. 453-459