Alessandra Minissale

Alessandra Minissale is a recognised student at the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies and holds a Master of Law (cum laude) from the University of Bologna. She is now reading for a double PhD in Sociology at Uppsala University, and in Legal Studies at Bologna University.

Her doctoral research is part of the international project Justemotions funded by the European Research Council, where she works under the supervision of Professor Stina Bergman Blix. The project investigates the role of emotions in the construction of judicial and prosecutorial objectivity in different countries.

Alessandra conducted extensive ethnographic data collection in Italian courts and prosecution offices, focusing on how emotions impact the construction and evaluation of narratives in criminal cases, using an interactional perspective. Her major empirical findings encompass the role of gut feelings, empathy, and passion in legal decision-making.

Alessandra’s article titled “Scrutinizing Gut Feelings: Emotional Reflexive Practices in Italian Courts” has unanimously received the Best Paper Award at the 2022 European Sociological Association Midterm Conference in Hamburg.

Alessandra also has teaching experience in the Sociology programme, where she teaches “Qualitative Methods in the Social Science”; in the Social Work programme, where she teaches “Legal Perspectives on Social Interaction”; and in the Civil Procedural Law course at Bologna University, where she gives lectures on “The role of emotions in legal practice”.