Welcome!
I am a Professor of Political Science at the Inter-university Department of Regional and Urban Studies and Planning, University/Polytechnic of Turin, in Italy.
My research has addressed questions around the ethnic politics of socio-environmental conflicts, the domestic politics of human rights of vulnerable groups (including indigenous peoples, domestic workers and working children), and, more recently, the contentious politics of wildfires. I have also worked on the post-2015 development agenda and the challenges of fostering engagement from the Global South with the Sustainable Development Goals.
NEW! I have recently started a new project on the Politics of Wildfires funded by the European Research Council. Post-docs and PhD opportunities coming up soon. Stay tuned!
Recent Projects
On Burning Ground: Wildfire Politics in Sub-Saharan Africa
FIREPOL – The Politics of Wildfires
Recognition Politics in the Andes
Selected Publications
FONTANA, L.B., C. Dyngeland and K.G. Dexter (2024) ”Demographic Pressure as a Factor in Inter-ethnic Conflicts: Evidence from Colombia”. Ethnic and Racial Studies 1–25.
Cabrera Silva, A. and L.B. FONTANA (2024). ‘Indigenous vs. peasant’s rights? Lhaka Honhat v. Argentina and the role of the Inter-American Human Rights System in communal inter-ethnic conflicts‘. Journal of Human Rights 23(5), 492–511.
Miramonti, A., FONTANA, L. B., & Johnston, C. (2024). ‘Forum Theatre for Reconciliation: a drama-based approach to conflict transformation applied to socio-environmental struggles in Bolivia‘. Peacebuilding: 1–21.
FONTANA, L. B. (2024). Seeing others. Seeing us. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 1–10. Symposium on Lamont’s book Seeing others