Carole Jane Beebe Tarantelli (born July 12, 1942) is an American-born former member of the Italian parliament. She was the first American citizen elected to the Italian Chamber of Deputies.

Early life and education

Tarantelli was born in

Elizabeth, New Jersey Elizabeth is a city and the county seat of Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.New J ...

on July 12, 1942. She graduated from

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a private women's liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant as a female seminary, it is a member of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, an unofficial g ...

in 1964. She then attended the University of Michigan where she earned a master of arts in English literature before moving on to Brandeis University where she earned a Ph.D. in English literature. At Brandeis, she met

Ezio Tarantelli Ezio is an Italian masculine name, originating from the Latin name ''Aetius''. It may refer to: * Flavius Aetius (c. 396–454), Roman general, after whom Metastasio's libretto and all the operas below are named. ** Ezio (libretto), opera librett ...

, an Italian labor economist. The couple married in 1970 and moved to Italy. Ezio was assassinated by Red Brigade terrorists in 1985. They had a son, Luca.

Life in Rome

After moving to Italy, Tarantelli began teaching the English language and English literature at the Sapienza University of Rome. In 1979, she began training to become a psychoanalyst at the Italian Center for Analytical Psychology, and she entered private practice in 1982. While in Italy, Tarentelli was active in the feminist movement. She took part in a number of international seminars featuring feminist intellectuals. Following her husband's murder, she met in prison with terrorists who were questioning terrorist methods and the impact it was having on Italy. She also became active as an anti-terrorism activist, appearing in print and on television. Tarantelli helped found Differenza Donna, an organization dedicated to combating violence against women, in 1988. She served as president from 1988 to 1995. , Tarantelli continued to teach at the Sapienza, volunteered at Differenza Donna, and worked as a psychoanalyst.

Chamber of Deputies

Tarantelli was elected to the Chamber of Deputies in 1987 and focused on women's issues, including legislation focusing on rape, domestic violence, abortion, and family leave. She was the first American ever elected to parliament in Italy. She was reelected twice and stepped down in 1996. She was a member of the

Independent Left The Independent Left (french: Gauche indépendante, GI) was a French parliamentary group in the Chamber of Deputies of France of the French Third Republic during the interwar period. It was not a political party but a technical group formed by ind ...

parliamentary delegation.

Awards

Tarantelli received the Alumnae Achievement Award from Wellesley College in 2005.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tarantelli, Carole Beebe Wellesley College alumni University of Michigan Law School alumni Brandeis University alumni Members of the Chamber of Deputies (Italy) Independent Left (Italy) politicians People from Elizabeth, New Jersey Sapienza University of Rome faculty 1942 births living people