Hostos associate professor Marcella Bencivenni, who has taught history at Hostos since 2004, was recently named the new editor of the Italian American Review (IAR).

The IAR is a peer-reviewed journal that publishes scholarly articles about the history and culture of Italian Americans as well as other aspects of the Italian diaspora, covering topics such as migration, politics, labor, race and ethnicity, urban studies, gender studies, and the production of expressive culture (cinema, music, religious feasts), among others.

In 2015, Professor Bencivenni was awarded a Distinguished CUNY Fellowship for her ongoing book project tentatively titled “Italian Immigration, The Triangle Fire, and the Politics of Memory.”

She is the author of Italian Immigrant Radical Culture: The Idealism of the Sovversivi in the United States, 1890-1940 (New York University Press, 2011, repr. 2014), and the co-editor of Radical Perspectives on Immigration (Routledge, 2008). She has also published over a dozen book chapters, articles and historiographical essays on topics related to Italian immigration and U.S. labor history and was recently featured in the television program, “Who Do You Think You Are?” helping popular Italian-American actress Valerie Bertinelli trace her family’s lineage.

“I am truly honored to have been chosen as the new editor of the Italian American Review, a journal that matches very closely my scholarly interests and where I published one of my very first articles back in 2001,” Professor Bencivenni said. “Although it will be certainly challenging to balance this new responsibility with my already busy academic life, I am very grateful for the opportunity and look forward to lead IAR and help to enhance the field of Italian American studies, both on a national and international level.”

About Hostos Community College
Eugenio María de Hostos Community College is an educational agent for change that has been transforming and improving the quality of life in the South Bronx and neighboring communities since 1968. It serves as a gateway to intellectual growth and socioeconomic mobility, as well as a point of departure for lifelong learning, success in professional careers, and transfer to advanced higher education programs. The College’s unique Student Success Coaching Unit provides students with individualized guidance and exemplifies its emphasis on student support services.
 
Named one of the top 10 finalists for the 2015 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, Hostos offers 27 associate degree programs and two certificate programs that facilitate easy transfer to The City University of New York’s (CUNY) four-year colleges or baccalaureate studies at other institutions. The College has an award-winning Division of Continuing Education & Workforce Development that offers professional development courses and certificate-bearing workforce training programs. Hostos is part of CUNY, the nation’s leading urban public university, which serves more than 500,000 students at 24 colleges.