Serena D'Agostino

Serena D'Agostino (she/her/hers) is a Senior Associate Researcher at the Centre for Migration, Diversity and Justice (CMDJ) at the VUB's Brussels School of Governance (BSoG), as well as a Senior Researcher in Political Science at the Politics and Public Governance research group at the University of Antwerp. At the VUB, she is also a member of RHEA - the Research Centre for Gender, Diversity and Intersectionality.

Serena obtained her PhD in Political Science at the VUB in 2018 with the thesis "Romani Women in European Politics. Exploring Multi-Layered Political Spaces for Intersectional Policies and Mobilizations”.

Her current project, "Racial(ized) Queer Activism: Practices and Experiences of Intersectional Mobilizations in Belgium" (FWO research project), investigates activist practices and experiences at the intersection of racism and (hetero)sexism.

Her research interests lie at the crossroads of (political) intersectionality, activism/social movements, and minority politics and rights, with a focus on Romani politics, Romani feminism, and Roma rights in Europe. She is the co-editor, alongside Nadia E. Brown, of "Intersectional (Feminist) Activisms: Global Practices and Experiences" (Routledge, 2024).

Serena holds a Postgraduate Certificate in EU Law on Immigration and Asylum from the 'Odysseus Academic Network' of the Université Libre de Bruxelles (2013), an MA in International Politics and Relations from the University of Pisa (2009, summa cum laude), and a BA in International Communications from the University for Foreigners of Perugia (2005). During her Master, she spent a year as an Erasmus student at the Department of Hautes Etudes Internationales (HEI) of the Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales (I.Na.L.C.O. – Paris).

From 2009 to 2012 Serena worked in the NGO sector in the Western Balkans and Eastern Africa.

Serena's research work has been published in the European Journal of Politics and Gender, the International Feminist Journal of Politics, the Journal of Diversity and Gender Studies, the Journal of Women, Politics & Policy, and Politics, Groups, and Identities, among others.

Research Expertise: Activism, Anti-Roma Racism/Anti-Gypsyism, Central Eastern Europe, Civil Society, Diversity Governance, Europeanization, Equ(al)ity & Non-discrimination, (Political) Intersectionality, Intersectional Mobilizations, Minority Politics, Political Opportunity Structures, Political Participation, Racisms, Roma rights, Roma women, Romani (Gender) Politics, Safe Spaces, Social Movements.

Research Methodology: Qualitative, Case-study, Interviews, Participatory Action Research, Photovoice