Serena Vantin

Serena Vantin is Associate Professor of Philosophy of Law in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Bologna. Her research focuses on the history of legal philosophy, the history of legal feminism, and the philosophical and bioethical implications of technological innovation.

Abstract: International scholarship on Mary Wollstonecraft has expanded significantly in recent years, establishing her as a foundational figure in political and legal philosophy. Despite this global recognition, the study of Wollstonecraft in Italy remains underdeveloped, with few recent contributions and unexplored connections to Italian Enlightenment thinkers. This research project seeks to address these gaps through two main objectives: (1) analyzing early editions of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792) at the Hesburgh Library to support a new Italian translation and an accompanying introductory essay on Wollstonecraft’s reception in Italy; and (2) producing an academic article on Wollstonecraft’s engagement with Enlightenment criminal law, particularly her reflections on punishment in relation to Cesare Beccaria’s Dei delitti e delle pene (1764). The outcomes—the translation and the article—will be published by Carocci, a respected Italian academic publisher. The project draws on the Hesburgh Library’s outstanding rare book collection to advance Wollstonecraft studies within the Italian academic context.