Nicolò Pennucci is a PhD candidate in Political Science and Sociology at the Scuola Normale Superiore and a member of the Center on Social Movement Studies (COSMOS). His research interests cover social media, social movements and populism. In particular, his PhD research project focuses on the creation of progressive populist identities as developed by social movements from below, through social media, in opposition to right-wing populist parties in hegemonic positions in Western countries (Italy,  UK and US). His aim is to critically evaluate potential and limitations of progressive populist identity formation from below through social media and assessing the broader implications for the quality of democracy.

Nicolò received a BA in Political Science from the University of Pisa and an MA in Sociology and Social Research from the University of Florence. He obtained both degrees as an Honor’s Student of the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in Pisa, where he received a BA and an MA diploma in Political Science. During his period as an Honor Student, he spent visiting research periods in foreign institutions such as the École Normale Supérieure in Paris and the Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona. Afterword, he obtained a MSc. in Political Theory at the London School of Economics and Political Science – LSE as an Ermenegildo Zegna Scholar. Besides academia, he worked as an intern for the Italian Parliament in Rome and as a Blue Book Trainee at the Publications Office of the European Union in Luxembourg.

Research interests: Digital politics, populism, social movements, social media