Dr. Fiori Berhane

Biography

Fiori Berhane broadly researches the ways African refugees challenge legal-juridical frameworks that support the Central Mediterranean crossing. She studies how Eritrean refugee activists engage with colonial, post-colonial, and neo-colonial policies embedded within the histories of Italy, aiming to address multi-modal violence occurring in their countries of origin, in transit, and upon settlement. As a political legal anthropologist, Berhane examines the relationships between migrant activism and the emergent legal border infrastructures, particularly in the context of postcolonial racial politics concerning Eritrea, Libya, and Italy. Her current monograph focuses on the political activism of the Eritrean diaspora in Italy, exploring their struggles for migrant rights and their engagement with disavowed colonial histories. Berhane’s work addresses fundamental questions within Global Black studies, Refugee Critical Border studies, and Anthropology in Europe and the Mediterranean. She is actively working on a book project titled "Prisoners of Dreams: Eritrean Diaspora Politics in 'Red' Italy," which analyzes Eritrean dissident activism amidst Europe’s migration crisis. Her research has been published in notable journals such as Cultural Anthropology and Migration Society.

Research Interests

Experience