Biancamaria Scarcia Amoretti, (26 November 1938, in
Aosta – 19 September 2020, in
Rome), was an Italian researcher and
Islamologist
Islamic studies refers to the academic study of Islam, and generally to academic multidisciplinary "studies" programs—programs similar to others that focus on the history, texts and theologies of other religious traditions, such as Easter ...
. She specialized in the
history of medieval Islam, particularly in the relations between religion and politics. The scholar was also interested in
Shia Islam and issues related to
female expressiveness and representation in this history.
Biography
Biancamaria Amoretti was born on 26 November 1938, in Aosta.
She earned her doctorate in 1963 from the
University of Naples - L'Orientale with a dissertation titled "''Hagiography, Popular Devotion, and Pilgrimages Dedicated to the Eighth Imam, ʿAlī al-Riḍā''".
Her thesis director was
Laura Veccia Vaglieri.
After completing her university studies, she began teaching at the
Sapienza University of Rome in 1967 as an assistant.
In 1971, she was promoted to adjunct professor, and in 1976, she received tenure.
Finally, in 1985, Amoretti was appointed to the chair of
Islamology
Islamic studies refers to the academic study of Islam, and generally to academic multidisciplinary "studies" programs—programs similar to others that focus on the history, texts and theologies of other religious traditions, such as Easter ...
at the university.
Her primary research interests were the history of medieval Islam, particularly the relationships between religion and politics.
She was also interested in
Shia Islam and issues related to
female expressiveness and representation in this history.
Throughout her research and travels, the historian described herself as a
feminist
Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...
and wrote about the condition of women in the
Muslim world.
She contributed to the feminist journal DWF from its inception in 1976.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Amoretti frequently traveled to
Iran for her research.
She married Gianroberto Scarcia, one of her fellow Islamologists.
Starting in 1992, Amoretti served as a juror for the Pozzale Luigi Russo Prize.
In 1998, she organized the first international meeting of scholars on the theme of the
ashraf and wrote a significant portion of the scientific outputs for the conference.
She died in Rome on 19 September 2020.
Legacy
The Iranian Cultural Institute in Italy quickly organized a webinar on 29 September 2020, in her honor. The journal DWF paid tribute to her.
In 2023, the
University of Trieste held a conference in her memory titled "Study days in memory of Biancamaria Scarcia Amoretti: the role of women in the Muslim world and Palestine".
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scarcia Amoretti, Biancamaria
1938 births
2020 deaths