About Diana Garvin
Diana Garvin is an Assistant Professor of Italian with a specialty in Mediterranean Studies at the University of Oregon. She is also an affiliated faculty member at the UC Berkeley Center for Right Wing Studies and sits on the Editorial Board of the New Fascism Syllabus.
Diana Garvin is a historian and commentator on daily life under Italian fascism and the insights that this period can provide for current events.
Expertise
As the author of over twenty academic articles and essays, Garvin examines the early warning signs of dictatorial rule, as well as effective strategies for everyday resistance. Her Italian Studies publications bridge four historical arenas:
- Food and beverage (Annali d’italianistica, Food and Foodways)
- Architecture and design (Critical Inquiry, Design Issues)
- Reproductive health care (Signs, gender/sexuality/italy)
- Race and racism (Journal of Modern European History, Journal of Modern Italian History)
Awards
Go to an expert source
Garvin’s historical perspective on everyday life under Italian Fascism in Italy and Italian East Africa (Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia) has made her an expert source for radio, podcasts, and print journalism.
Her research has been supported by Fulbright, Getty Library, Oxford University, Cornell University, University of Oregon, Wolfsonian-FIU, Julia Child Foundation, CLIR Mellon, FLAS, AAUW, NWSA, AFS, and other fellowships.
The 100-year old chocolate wrapper
A 100-year old chocolate wrapper at the Wolfsonian Museum in Miami Florida sparked her interest in the politics of food. In her book, Feeding Fascism, Garvin uses food as a lens to examine how women’s work to feed their families became politicized under the Italian dictatorship. Model kitchens and culinary propaganda reveal the national stakes of daily choices and the quiet, electric moments leading to political resistance.