Jennifer DeSilva

History, 2017-18

Early Modern Social Mobility: Mapping & Networking the de’ Grassi Family of Bologna

Jennifer DeSilva is an Associate Professor of History and the Assistant Chair of the Department of History. She is the project director for “Early Modern Social Mobility: Mapping & Networking the de’ Grassi Family of Bologna.”  DeSilva’s research focuses on issues of identity-building, authority, and behavioral reform in early modern Europe. DeSilva is using her DSL fellowship to continue to develop a mapping and networking project that explores the experience and benefits of office-holding by both clergy and laymen in the pursuit of social mobility. This work examines how non-noble elites crafted strategies to supplement limited opportunities for political authority with prestige and advancement gained through extensive ecclesiastical office-holding in Bologna, Italy, from 1400-1750 CE.