Professor Desmond O'Connor
Full Academic Status
College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
After completing a First Class Honours degree at the University of Melbourne, he was awarded the first-ever Italian Government scholarship to be offered in Australia, which enabled him to complete his Masters at the University of Padua. He subsequently lectured at the University of WA before being appointed to the Italian Department at Flinders. He has published internationally on Italian-English lexicography, Italian language, Italian poetry, and is today most well known for his research and publications on Italian migration to South Australia. In 1990 he established the first course on Italian migration to be offered in an Australian university Italian studies department. He has supervised many Flinders postgraduates in this field. His teaching and research in Italian migration resulted in migration studies becoming a particular strength of the School of Humanities. At Flinders he has occupied numerous administrative positions, including Deputy Head of the School.
BA Honours First Class, University of Melbourne
MA First Class, University of Melbourne
PhD Flinders University (1997)
- Faculty of EHLT award for "outstanding leadership in developing migration studies teaching and research in the School of Humanities" (2007).
- University of Rome "La Sapienza" award "in gratitude for his outstanding scholarship in the field of Italian studies and Italian migration research, which have distinguished his whole academic activity" (2006).
- Vice-Chancellor's staff award for "outstanding contribution to Flinders University" (2006).
- Centenary of Federation Medal "for service to the community as Head of the Languages Department, Flinders University" (2003).
Italian language topics.
History of the Italian Language.
Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Italian poetry.
Member of Editorial Board of Studi Emigrazione (Rome); Rivista di Studi Italiani (Canada).
External assessor for various academic journals and for PhD theses (ongoing).
Actively engaged with a number of Italian regional and town communities in South Australia including Molfettesi, Cauloniesi, Molinaresi, Calabrian, Trevisani, Tuscan, Associazione Sant'Eufemia.
Member of various academic associations including ACIS, ARIA, AISLLI.
- Italy
- Migration
- Italian migration to South Australia
Sturt Rd, Bedford Park
South Australia 5042
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