Doctoral Candidate Margherita Lanza

Margherita Lanza is a PhD candidate in a cotutelle program between the University of Heidelberg and Ca’ Foscari University of Venice. Her research investigates how queer identity is shaped, constrained, and imagined in early 20th-century literature, with a particular focus on the remarkable cluster of queer-themed novels published in 1928. Drawing on queer theory, feminist narratology, and cultural history, her project explores how these texts engage with sexological discourse, censorship, and shifting understandings of gender and sexuality, revealing the complex negotiations authors undertook in times of social and ideological transformation.

Her academic trajectory, between Italy, Germany, and the UK, has been shaped by a deep curiosity for how literature articulates identity, power, and resistance. From her earliest research on queerness to her ongoing doctoral project, Margherita has been especially interested in the relational space between narrative form and cultural context, and in how stories create possibilities for alternative imaginaries.

Alongside her research, she is committed to teaching, interdisciplinary dialogue, and fostering inclusive academic environments. Outside of academia, Margherita brings the same curiosity and sense of exploration to her personal life: she loves moving between countries, discovering new cultural textures, and finding unexpected connections between places, people, and ideas.