JOAN L. SAVERINO
6912 Boyer Street
Philadelphia, PA 19119
Home: 215-438-5034; Cell: 215-901-8197
email: joan.saverino@gmail.com
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EDUCATION
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Ph.D. in Folklore and Folklife. 1996.
Dissertation: “Private Lives, Public Identities: The Italians of Reading and Berks County, PA, 1890–
1940.”
The George Washington University, Washington, DC
M.A. (with distinction) in Anthropology. Specialization in Museum studies. 1979.
West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV
A.B. (cum laude) in Anthropology & Sociology. 1975.
Languages: Italian; reading knowledge of French.
PERSONAL AWARDS, HONORS, FELLOWSHIPS
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Folklore Studies in a Multicultural World Book Series. Competitive Selection & Workshop Stipend.
2012.
Arcadia University. Faculty Development Fund. Conference Award. 2012.
NEA/AFS Augmented Reality Interactive Storytelling Workshop. Madison, WI. Stipend. 2011.
Heritage Philadelphia Program, Pew Charitable Trusts. Interpretive Inquiry and Investigation Award.
2009.
American Folklore Society. International Travel Award. 2004.
Pennsylvania Humanities Council. Visiting Scholar Grant. 2002.
The Roothbert Fund, Inc. Scholarship. Annually, 1988 – 1994.
Center for Italian Studies, University of Pennsylvania. Salvatori Research Award. 1993.
Fondazione Giovanni Agnelli. Fellowship for Beginning Graduate Research. 1990.
University of Pennsylvania. Tuition Scholarship. 1989.
American Italian Historical Association. Scholarship. 1989.
West Virginia Humanities Foundation. Planning Grant. West Virginia Italian Folklife. 1981.
National Endowment for the Arts. Folk Arts Grant: Apprenticeship with Master Artist. 1981.
INSTITUTIONAL GRANTS AND AWARDS (Saverino P.I.)
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Museums and the Web. Honorable Mention Exhibitions category for PhilaPlace.org. 2010.
IMLS/NEH. Advancing Knowledge: The IMLS/NEH Digital Partnership Implementation Grant.. Project
Director of PhilaPlace. $347,500. 2007.
Joan L. Saverino
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Heritage Philadelphia Program, Pew Charitable Trusts. Project Director of PhilaPlace.
Implementation Grant. $150,000. 2007.
Pennsylvania Humanities Council. Project Director of PhilaPlace. Implementation Grant. $18,000.
2006.
UNIVERSITY TEACHING
University of Pennsylvania, College of Liberal and Professional Studies. Philadelphia, PA. 2012 Urban Studies Program. Lecturer. Urban Ethnography. Spring 2012-2014.
Using Philadelphia as the site of students’ praxis, this course explores the symbolic
meanings and social production of urban life and culture in the nation’s fifth largest city.
This course is structured as a seminar with background readings from Philadelphia and
other urban settings to introduce students to the study of the city as a site of everyday
practice as well as step-by-step training in conducting an ethnographic fieldwork project.
Masters Liberal Arts Program. Primary Reader. Capstone project for two candidates, 1998–1999; two
candidates, 2013-2014.
Women’s Studies Program. Lecturer.
Gender and Culture in Everyday Life. Fall, 1998. (Graduate seminar)
This course used the lens of gender to explore how masculinity and femininity is socially
constructed through the ways men and women interact in daily life. Adopting a cross-cultural
approach to gender, the course focused on expressive forms, the material conditions, and
social, economic and political circumstances that shape the behavior and decisions that men
and women make.
Women and Ethnicity. Spring 1998.
This course examined the multifaceted and situational nature of ethnicity in the United States,
focusing on the often unique experiences, perceptions, and expressions of women from
different cultural backgrounds. Also considered was how women's experiences and strategies
of adaptation have varied depending on time of immigration and place of settlement.
Folklore and Folklife Program. Lecturer.
American Material Culture. Spring 2000 (Graduate seminar)
This course examined American artifacts and considered their cultural analysis through
various disciplinary lenses in an effort to understand the differences in approach and types of
questions posed. The politics of culture surrounding issues such as connoisseurship, buying
and selling objects, and exhibition and display were also considered.
Women and Folklore. Fall 1999; Summer 1997.
This course explored how women experience and interpret their everyday lives, attending
especially to both verbal and material forms of creative aesthetic expression. Taking a crosscultural approach, gender roles and ideology, gender as a cultural construction, and issues of
gender and identity were discussed. The intersections of gender with other social factors such as
class, age, ethnicity, and sexual orientation were also examined.
American Folklore. Fall 1996.
This course provided an introduction to the field of folklore within the context of the diverse
American experience. Explored were both the variety of folklore in America and how changes in
American culture over time have shaped the folklore we have today. This approach looked at
folklore as both form (e.g. narrative, foodways, material culture, art, belief) and dynamic process
(performance context).
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Immigration and Ethnicity. Spring 1996.
This course examined the multifaceted nature of ethnicity in the North American context. The
course looked at issues of migration, resettlement, establishment of ethnic communities, and
variation of experiences over time and space.
Arcadia University, Anthropology, Sociology, Criminal Justice Department. Glenside, PA.
Adjunct Professor. 2011University Seminar, Global Connections Program: Exploring Immigrants and Identity in a Global
World. Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Fall 2013.
This course examines the multifaceted nature of immigration and ethnicity in the North
American context. In this course we will use different interpretive modes and in particular
look at aesthetic expression (e.g. material life, art, foodways) to explore how immigrants
and migrants (as well as African Americans and Native Peoples) to the United States have
arrived, settled, built communities, laid down roots, created unique identities, and keep
global interconnections with home villages.
Introduction to Cultural Anthropology. Every semester, Fall 2011- Spring 2014.
This course introduces sociocultural anthropology as a holistic discipline that has a unique
approach to studying humankind and the wide diversity of cultures that exist in the world
today and in the past. Students will gain a basic understanding of the field, its
methodology, and approaches through reading and through doing. The class will take a
more in-depth look at issues of globalization, power, identity, and the complexity of culture
by reading particular ethnographies.
University Seminar, Global Connections Program: Place, Space, and the Material World: Exploring
Immigrants and Identity. Spring 2011.
Using the lens of material culture and a sense of place, this course explores issues of
immigration and ethnic identity and transnational connections between immigrants and
their place of origin. The relationship of ethnicity to place(s), how difference is delineated in
space, the politics of public space, issues of memory and place (including transnational
connections) are explored.
Department of Anthropology. The George Washington University. Washington, DC.
Teaching Assistant. Assistant for introductory cultural anthropology courses taught by Colin M. Turnbull,
Fall 1977; R.K. Lewis, Spring 1978.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Historical Society of Pennsylvania (HSP). www.hsp.org. Philadelphia, PA.
Director of Education and Outreach and Creator and Founding Director of PhilaPlace. 2009-2010.
Central role in the design and implementation of the general education program that focused on adults and
youth. Created and directed PhilaPlace (www.philaplace.org), a collaborative multicultural interpretive and
interactive Web site-anchored neighborhood history and culture project, with over $500,000 in federal,
state, and private grants. Planned and executed PhilaPlace programming events, conducted fieldwork, built
collaborations, sought additional funding, and formed and worked with PhilaPlace advisory committee as
well as over 21 collaborating grass roots, academic, non-profit and for profit organizations. Contributed
ideas, expertise and worked collaboratively with members of other departments (library, development,
business staff) to seek additional funding and conceptualize and implement new education programming.
Joan L. Saverino
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Spearheaded acquisition of several important collections. Hired and supervised two PhilaPlace staff,
educator position, consultants, and graduate and undergraduate interns.
Assistant Director of Education. 2005-2009. Duties same as above.
Education Specialist. 2003-2005.
Researched, wrote, designed lessons, presented workshops for teachers and assessed HSP’s educational
Web site component “Exploring Diversity through Pennsylvania’s Ethnic History,” funded by the Pennsylvania
Department of Education. Central role in the design and implementation of the general education program
that focused on adults and youth. Oversaw research, development, writing, and assessment of Web site
curriculum and teacher workshops including outreach workshops.
Germantown Historical Society. Philadelphia, PA.
Visiting Scholar. 2002-2003.
Recipient of Pennsylvania Humanities Council Visiting Scholarship. Initiated new phase of Italian ethnohistory
project focusing primarily on Chestnut Hill. Planned, organized, and led guided cultural heritage tour; developed
and wrote heritage tour brochure; and published research in Society’s journal. Coordinated community advisory
committee. Project received an Honorable Mention in the 2004 award competition of the Pennsylvania
Federation of Museums and Historical Organizations.
Local Scholar. 1998–2001.
Designated local scholar for Pennsylvania Humanities Council “Raising Our Sites: Community Histories of
Pennsylvania” project to document Italian communities in Northwest Philadelphia. Conducted research
including interviews, created community advisory committee, conceived and moderated public programming
event (sharing circle and lecture), and published research in Society’s journal.
Historical Society of Berks County. Reading, PA.
Italian American Ethnohistory Project Director. 1990–1993.
Community documentation study of Italians to Reading and Berks County, PA, using ethnohistorical
methodology. Conducted 74 oral interviews and collected more than 450 historic photographs. Publicized
project, supervised volunteers, hired consultants, formed advisory committee, presented public and academic
lectures and published findings. Project grant funded by Pennsylvania Historical and Museums Commission
and Pennsylvania Department of Community Affairs. Academic advisors: Dr. Robert St. George, University of
Pennsylvania, and Dr. Richard Juliani, Villanova University. Resulted in my dissertation.
Fondazione Giovanni Agnelli.
Research Fellowship for Graduate Study. September – December 1991.
Conducted ethnohistorical and field research focusing on social, economic, and religious spheres of women in
San Giovanni in Fiore, Calabria, Italy. Analyzed how globalizing forces and transnational travel affected
women’s identities and transformed a local means of production (textiles and embroidery) during the turbulent
period of early twentieth century emigration.
Philadelphia Museum of Art. Philadelphia, PA.
Research internship. 1989–1990.
Researched and documented collection of Italian folk dress and lace in the Department of Costumes and
Textiles. Conducted field research in the Abruzzo region and at Museo Nazionale, Rome, Italy, for two weeks
(Fall, 1991) jointly with curator of Philadelphia Museum of Art Department of Textiles and Costumes.
Charlottesville Public Schools. Charlottesville, VA.
Project Director. 1986 – 1988.
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Developed, wrote, and implemented use of curriculum materials and kit of teaching aids on Nigeria as part of
system-wide multi-cultural studies program. Organized advisory committee of academics, members of school
board, and community leaders. Planned and presented a two-day in-service training for teachers followed by
making classroom observations and mentoring teachers.
Ash Lawn/Highland. The Home of James Monroe. Charlottesville, VA.
Project Director and Curator of Exhibition. 1984–1985.
Administered National Endowment for the Humanities grant, "The Making of President James Monroe".
Designed and curated exhibition, "James Monroe: Public and Private Citizen," developed and coordinated a
public lecture series, public relations, and educational materials for the project. Co-authored National
Endowment for the Humanities grant proposal, "Life and Labor at Highland.”
National Museum of African Art. Smithsonian Institution. Washington, DC.
Education Specialist. 1980–1984.
Planned and implemented educational programs for a wide variety of audiences including the general public,
teachers, and students. Researched, wrote, and designed interpretive curriculum materials for children and
teachers to accompany museum exhibitions and programs for use by schools and other audiences.
National Endowment for the Arts. Folk Arts Grant: Apprenticeship with a Master Artist.
Apprentice and ethnographer. June – December 1981.
Learned, recorded and photographed technique of traditional Italian needlework of immigrant artist and
teacher, Anna Guarascio Peluso. Documented the life history of artist through tape-recorded interviews.
Curated exhibition, "Italian Cutwork," and arranged demonstration by immigrant needlework artist at
Clarksburg-Harrison Public Library for West Virginia Italian Heritage Festival in September 1981.
National Anthropological Archives. Smithsonian Institution. Washington, DC.
Museum Technician. 1979–1980.
Catalogued and organized collection of Native American ethnographic and linguistic materials.
Woodrow Wilson Center for Scholars. Smithsonian Institution. Washington, DC.
Research Associate. 1977-1979.
Conducted museum and library research for biologist/ecologist Dan B. Botkin. September 1978 – January
1979. Assisted anthropologist James L. Gibbs, Jr. in analyzing and coding psychological tests resulting from
fieldwork among the Kpelle of Liberia. Conducted library research for historian on colonial period of Polynesian
history. September 1976 – May 1977.
National Museum of African Art. Smithsonian Institution. Washington, DC.
Curatorial Assistant. June – August 1977.
Performed full range of curatorial duties. Catalogued incoming collections and assisted with exhibition
installation.
CONSULTING
Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY.
Consultant. Advised Southside African American Neighborhood Project team regarding building collaborations,
planning programming, building Web site and seeking additional funding sources. July 2009.
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Cabrini College, Radnor, PA.
Tour Coordinator, Guide, and Lecturer. September 26, 2004.
Led all day event, “Italian Immigration in its Regional Context,” that included slide lecture, discussion, and a
tour of Northwest Philadelphia for college students as part of National Italian American Foundation funded
project entitled “The Italian Immigrant Experience: Its Impact on American Culture, the Philadelphia Region,
and Cabrini College.”
American Folklore Society--Veterans History Project Partnership Program. American Folklife Center.
Library of Congress (LC). Washington, DC.
Workshop Leader. 2002–2004.
Selected to lead workshops to increase participants’ basic understanding of the personal aspects of oral
interviewing and the technical aspects of audio and video documentation.
Pennsylvania Governor’s Institute for Humanities Educators. Eastern College. St. David’s, PA. Workshop
Leader. June 2003.
Coordinated a workshop on research at Germantown Historical Society and planned an Italian heritage tour for
a summer teachers’ institute designed to achieve the goal of involving high school educators in a leadership
program.
Abington Art Center. Jenkintown, PA.
Advisor. 2002.
Participated in the planning phase (oral history component) of Rosenwald History Project: a collaborative plan
to create a network of institutions to trace and document the history of a major art and rare book collection and
its owner.
The Classroom on Carpenter Lane. Philadelphia, PA. 2001–2002.
Guest teacher.
Developed a series of classroom activities on Family History/Family Folklore for a mixed age group
(kindergarten through second grade).
Historic Yellow Springs, Inc. Chester Springs, PA.
Advisor. 1999.
Participated in the planning committee for the Pennsylvania Humanities Council funded “Yellow Springs: A
Gathering Place” project.
The National Museum of African Art. Smithsonian Institution. Washington, DC.
Workshop Coordinator. November 1984.
Co-planned, coordinated and conducted an all-day workshop for elementary and high school teachers in
conjunction with the exhibition, "Praise Poems: The Katherine White Collection.”
Joan L. Saverino
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES, SERVICE, AND TRAINING
Italian American Studies Association. Conference & Educational Programs Committee. 2012Master of Liberal Arts Program Review. University of Pennsylvania. 14 October 2013.
National Council on Public History. Membership Committee. 2010-2013.
National Endowment for the Arts. Folk and Traditional Arts Grant Review Panel. 2010.
Encyclopedia of Philadelphia. Digital Task Force Member. 2010.
City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program.
Heritage Philadelphia Program (Pew) planning and implementation grant, “Journeys South”, to investigate
South Philadelphia. Advisory Committee Member. 2008-2010.
Multicultural Affairs Committee of the Philadelphia Visitors and Convention Bureau.
Historical Society of Pennsylvania Representative. 2006-2010.
The Germantown Historical Society. Philadelphia, PA. Board Member. 2007-2009.
Professional Development Travel. Two trips to New York City (Tenement Museum and City Lore) and
Washington DC (National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution and the Holocaust
Museum) to discuss ongoing public history and digital projects. 2007-2008.
Digitizing Historic Collections Workshop. Sponsored by the American Association for State and Local
History. Hagley Museum and Library, Wilmington, DE. Participant. April 18-20, 2007.
Managing Collaborations and Partnerships Workshop. Sponsored by the Philadelphia Cultural
Management Initiative. Participant. 2007.
Fabric of Philadelphia Project. The Design Center of Philadelphia University.
The Fabric of Philadelphia is a regional heritage initiative based on the theme of Philadelphia textile and
clothing manufacturing history and culture.
Advisory Committee Member. 2005-2006.
Pennsylvania Humanities Council.
Commonwealth Speaker. 2002–2003, 2004–2005.
Middle Atlantic Folklife Association. Board Member. 2002–2005.
Social Science Research Council. Program on the Arts, dissertation fellowships on the arts and social
science. Reviewer. 2002–2003.
The Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies. Philadelphia, PA. Faculty Associate. 1999–2000.
Served on planning committee for academic and public events and programs and to advise Balch Institute
staff.
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New Jersey State Council on the Arts. Trenton, NJ. Evaluator. Spring, 1998.
Evaluated artist in education residency on-site at Jordan Road School in Sommers Point, NJ.
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
American Folklore Society, Coordinating Council for Women in History, Italian American Studies Association,
Textile Society of America
PUBLICATIONS
Articles
“Embroidery as Inscription in the Life of a Calabrian Immigrant Woman.” In Embroidered Stories: Interpreting
Women’s Domestic Needlework from the Italian Diaspora, ed. Edvige Giunta and Joseph Sciorra. University
of Mississippi Press, 2014.
“Mapping Memories in Stone: Italians and the Transformation of a Philadelphia Landscape.” In Global
Philadelphia, ed. Ayumi Takenaka and Mary Osirim. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2010.
“Italians in Public Memory: Pageantry, Power, and Imagining the Italian American in Reading, Pennsylvania.” In
Italian Folk: Vernacular Culture in Italian-American Lives, ed. Joseph Sciorra. New York: Fordham University
Press, 2010.
“PhilaPlace: Co-Constructing a Neighborhood Narrative on the Web.” Public History News. 30 (December
2009):16.
“Vignette from an Appalachian Table.” Italian Americana. 27 (summer 2008):157-159.
“The Ninth Street Market and South Philadelphia: Personal Connections, Particular Views, Past Times and
Embodied Places.” Pennsylvania Legacies. 8 (fall 2007).
“Memories in Artifact and Stone: Italians Build a Neighborhood.” Germantown Crier. 53 (fall 2003):48–64.
“Italian American Heritage Guide to Philadelphia’s Historic Northwest.” Germantown Historical Society Ethnic
Heritage Series, 2003.
“Italians in Public Memory: Pageantry, Power, and Imagining the Italian American.” The Italian American
Review 8 (Autumn/Winter 2001):83–111.
“The Italians of Northwest Philadelphia: Remembering a Community’s Past.” Germantown Crier. 50 (fall
2000):44–70.
“Bridging Diversity, Building Community: Folkloric Models of Museum Interpretation. Journal of Museum
Education. 24 (Fall 1999). Guest editor of special issue.
Contributing writer. Country Doctor’s Book of Folk Remedies & Healing Wisdom. Lincolnwood, IL: Publications
International, 1998.
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“‘Domani Ci Zappa`’: Italian Immigration and Ethnicity in Pennsylvania.” Pennsylvania Folklife. 45 (Autumn
1995):2–22.
"The Italians of Reading: Forging an Identity in the 1920s." Historical Review of Berks County. 56 (fall
1991):172.
"Anna Guarascio Peluso: Preserving an Italian Art in West Virginia." Goldenseal Magazine. 7 (Winter
1981):39-44.
Reviews
Italian-American Traditions: Family and Community. Online Exhibition. Italian American Review. 2:2
(Summer 2012):143-45.
Curricula
Rural Roads, City Streets: Italians in Pennsylvania. Exploring Diversity through Pennsylvania’s Ethnic History
K-12 Web lessons, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 2005.
Ethnic Fraternal Societies and Mutual Aid: A System of Self-Help in Pennsylvania. Exploring Diversity
through Pennsylvania’s Ethnic History K-12 Web lessons, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 2004.
Immigrants In Coal Country: Anthracite Mining In Pennsylvania. Exploring Diversity through Pennsylvania’s
Ethnic History K-12 Web lessons, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 2003.
Nigeria: Teaching Materials for First and Third Grades. Charlottesville, VA: Charlottesville Public School
System, 1987.
Praise Poems: The Katherine White Collection. October 31, 1984–February 24, 1985.” Education Materials.
Washington, DC: Department of Education and Research, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian
Institution, 1984.
African Islam. November 30, 1983–April 22, 1984. Washington, DC: Department of Education and Research,
National Museum of African Art, 1983.
From the Earth: African Ceramic Art. May 17–October 9, 1983. Washington, DC: Department of Education and
Research, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, 1983.
African Emblems of Status. Education Materials. Washington, DC: Department of Education and Research,
National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, 1982.
MEDIA INTERVIEWS AND APPEARANCES
Brian James Kirk. “As Funding Dries, Historical Society’s PhilaPlace Reveals Compelling New Features.”
Technically Philly. 30 March 2010.
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JoAnn Greco. “Bringing Philadelphia’s Places to Life.” PlanPhilly. 23 February 2010.
JoAnn Greco. “How Walking Smart Can Enhance Our Sense of Place.” PlanPhilly. 1 February 2010.
Lorraine Gennaro. “Every Picture Tells a Story. Local sites figure prominently in an interactive Web site that
brings memories to life and records them for future generations.” South Philly Review. 4 February 2010.
Adriana Arvizo. “Tecnología interactiva para rescatar lo más antiguo.” Al Dia. 7 January 2010.
Peter Crimmins. “PhilaPlace.” WHYY Philadelphia. 10 December 2009.
Milena Velis. “Se repite el ciclo de immigracion, rechazo y aceptacion.” Al Dia. 28 May 2009.
Dr. Ashok Gangadean. Host, Haverford College. “Philly Live,” WYBE-TV Channel 35 On-Camera
Appearance. November 2001.
Discussed Italian American public history project at the Germantown Historical Society.
ACADEMIC PRESENTATIONS
Conferences
“Embroidery as Inscription in the Life of a Calabrian Immigrant Woman.” Participant in panel for book
release, Embroidered Stories: Interpreting Women's Domestic Needlework from the Italian Diaspora. Textile
Society of America. September 2014. Accepted.
“Embodied Femininity: White Lace, Women’s Work, and Lives of Feeling in a Calabrian Town.” Panel
participant. American Folklore Society Meeting. Santa Fe, NM. Nov 2014. Accepted.
“Cultural Politics in a Calabrian Town: Local Identity, the Textile Arts, and Marketing Heritage.” Textile Society
of America. Washington, DC. September 2012.
“The Pacchiana as Icon: Local Identity, Folk Arts, and Marketing Heritage.” International conference: The 3 Fs
in Italian Cultures: Critical Approaches to Food, Fashion, and Film. The John D. Calandra Italian American
Institute. City University of New York. April 2011.
“Digital Experiments, Hypermedia, and Community Participation.” Chair of Forum. American Folklore
Society Meeting. Nashville, TN. October 2010.
“Materiality, the Landscape of Coal, and the Making of Transnational Italian Identity in West Virginia.”
International conference: Terre Promesse: Excursions toward Italian Topographies. The John D. Calandra
Italian American Institute. City University of New York. April 2010.
“PhilaPlace: Digital Experiments and Community Participation.” Invited participant on panel. Pennsylvania
Historical Association. October 2009.
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“Beyond Pushing Buttons: Using Technology to Connect with New Audiences.” Invited participant on panel.
American Association for State and Local History. Indianapolis, IN. August 2009.
“Places and Stories that Matter: Digital Experiments and Community Involvement.” Chair and presenter.
American Association of Museums. Philadelphia, PA. May 2009.
“PhilaPlace: Digital Experiments and Community Participation.” In Digital Projects Showcase: Digital
Experiments, Collaboration, and Interactivity and a Working Group: Digital Experiments, Collaboration, and
Interactivity. Chair and presenter. National Council on Public History Meeting. Providence, RI. April 2009.
“Mapping Ethnicity and Change in Philadelphia’s Ninth Street Market.” American Italian Historical
Association Meeting. New Haven CT. November 2008.
“Il Fuoco Di Minonga”: The 1907 Mine Disaster, the Landscape of Coal, and the Making of Transnational
Italian Identity in West Virginia. American Folklore Society Meeting. Louisville KY. October 2008.
“Paradoxical Pasts: Diverse Interpretations of a Local Landscape.” Italians in the Americas: An International
Conference. The John D. Calandra Italian American Institute. City University of New York. April 2008.
“Mapping Memories in Stone: Italians and the Transformation of a Philadelphia Landscape.” Organization
of American Historians Annual Meeting. New York, New York. March 2008.
“Heritage Tourism.” Participant in Forum. American Folklore Society Meeting. Milwaukee, WI. October 2006.
“Mapping Memories in Stone: Italians and the Transformation of a Philadelphia Landscape.” Italian
American Historical Association Meeting. Los Angeles, CA. November 2005.
“Mapping Memories in Stone: Italians and the Transformation of a Philadelphia Landscape.” American
Folklore Society Meeting. Atlanta, Georgia. October 2005.
“Thinking History, Teaching History: Engaging Students and Teachers with the Historiographic Process.”
Roundtable. Pennsylvania Historical Association Meeting. Pittsburgh, PA. October 2005.
“Dissonant Discourse, Hidden Histories: Color and Class at Play in a Philadelphia Landscape.” Panel title:
“Folkloristic Approaches to Italian American History, Expressivity, and Belief.” American Italian Historical
Association Meeting. Annapolis, MD. November 2004.
“Paradoxical Pasts: Diverse Interpretations of a Local Landscape.” Panel: “Voicing Vernacular Experience:
Intersections between Folklore and Oral History.” American Folklore Society Meeting. Salt Lake City, Utah.
October 2004.
“Embroidery as Inscription: Memory, Meaning, and Life Integration.” International Oral History Association
Meeting. Rome, Italy. June 2004.
“Teaching Teachers: Translating Ethnographic Methodology to a School Setting.” Participant in Forum,
“Dangerous Prepositions: Teaching Transformation through Ethnography.” American Folklore Society
Meeting. Albuquerque, NM. October 2003.
Joan L. Saverino
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“Embroidery as Inscription: Memory, Meaning, and Life Integration.” Chair and member of panel, “Narrative,
Image, and Objects of Memory: Legacies of Italian and Italian American Family and Community.” American
Folklore Society Meeting. Rochester, NY. October 2002.
“Facilitating Learning about Workers, Work Culture, and Issues of Globalization.” Participant in Forum, “Theory
and Praxis in Undergraduate Classes.” American Folklore Society Meeting. Columbus, Ohio. October 2000.
“The Pacchiana as Icon: Local Identity, Folk Arts, and Marketing Heritage in Calabria.” Member of panel,
“Tourism in Europe: Recent Research.” Discussant: James Wallace. American Anthropological Association
Meeting. Philadelphia, PA. December 1998.
“Centro Artigianato: Marketing Heritage and Erasing Memory in Calabria.” Chair and member of panel, “Past
Selves, Present Places.” Discussant: Dr. Regina Bendix. American Folklore Society Meeting. Austin, TX.
October 1997.
“Italian Immigrant Women in Reading, PA: Constructions of Ethnicity and Issues of Power.” Chair and member
of panel, “Maid to Order: Women Fashion Their Own Images.” Discussant: Dr. Janet Theophano. American
Folklore Society Meeting. Pittsburgh, PA. October 1996.
“My Own Enola Gay: A Cautionary Tale of a Community Ethnohistory Project Gone Awry.” Chair and member
of panel, “Learning from the Field: The Aftermath of a Course in Fieldwork Theory.” Discussant: Dr. Margaret
Mills. American Folklore Society Meeting. Lafayette, LA. October 1995.
“Pageantry, Power, and Imagining the Italian American, 1923–1940.” Member of invited panel, "Power and
Identity: the Politics of Italian and Italian-American Festival." Discussant: Dr. Sabina Magliocco. American
Anthropological Association Meeting. Washington, DC. November 1993.
"Pageantry, Power, and Inventing the Italian American: The Italians of Reading, Pennsylvania, in the 1920s."
American Italian Historical Association Meeting. Washington, DC. November 1992.
"The Politics of Community: The Practice of Folklore." Forum participant. Discussant: Dr. Roger Abrahams.
American Folklore Society Meeting. Jacksonville, FL. October 1992.
"Issues and Strategies in the Documentation of a Museum's Collection of Italian Folk Costume." Chair of
session, “Material Culture II.” American Folklore Society Meeting. Philadelphia, PA. October 1989.
Invited Lectures, Workshops, Symposia
“Mapping Memories in Stone: Italians and the Transformation of a Philadelphia Landscape.” Cabrini
College Annual History and Political Science Club Forum: “Pennsylvania Past and Present”. November
2013.
“Embroidery as Inscription in the Life of a Calabrian Immigrant Woman.” Fairmont State University Folklife
Center Speaker Series. Fairmont State University. November 2012.
Joan L. Saverino
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“Embroidery as Inscription in the Life of a Calabrian Immigrant Woman.”Alfred F. Mannella and Rose T.
Lauria-Mannella Distinguished Speakers Series. Villanova University. November 2011.
“Global Philadelphia. Panel Discussion for Book Release.” Ninth International Conference of the
International Development Ethics Association. Presenter as part of Cultural Tour related to book. Bryn
Mawr College. June 2011.
“Place and Identity in Philadelphia’s Neighborhoods.” Guest Lecturer, Asian American Community
Fieldwork. University of Pennsylvania. March 2011.
“Global Philadelphia. Panel Discussion for Book Release.” Tredyffrin Public Library, Strafford,
Pennsylvania. February 2011.
“Global Philadelphia. Panel Discussion for Book Release.” Drexel University’s Great Works Symposium.
February 2011.
“Italian Folk: Panel Discussion for Book Release.” The John D. Calandra Italian American Institute. City
University of New York. January 2011.
“Global Philadelphia. Panel Discussion for book release, Global Philadelphia.” Historical Society of
Pennsylvania. April 2010.
"Immigrant Communities in Philadelphia: A Book Panel Discussion." Asian American Studies Program.
University of Pennsylvania. March 2010.
“PhilaPlace: A Digital Experiment in Community Participation.” Temple University. January 2010.
“PhilaPlace.” Historical Methodology Undergraduate Class. Drexel University. July 2009.
“PhilaPlace.” Panel: New Possibilities. The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia. Civic Partnership and
Planning Workshop. April 2009.
“PhilaPlace and Working with Community.” Public History Graduate Seminar. Rutgers University, Camden
Campus. February 2009.
“PhilaPlace, Community, and Methodology.” Historical Methodology Undergraduate Class. Drexel
University.
January 2009.
“HSP’s Education Program: Working with Online Resources.” Social Science Education Class. Temple
University. November 2008.
“PhilaPlace and Grant writing.” Graduate seminar. The School of Design. The University of Pennsylvania.
April 2008.
“South Philadelphia and the Ninth Street Market’s Italian History.” Mural Arts Bridge Program. University of
the Arts. April 2008.
Joan L. Saverino
14
“Il Fuoco di Minonga”: The 1907 Mine Disaster and the Making of Transnational Calabrian Identity in West
Virginia. West Virginia University. Morgantown, WV. March 2008.
“Il Fuoco di Minonga”: The 1907 Mine Disaster and the Making of Transnational Identity in West Virginia.
The Philip V. Cannistraro Seminar Series in Italian American Studies. The John D. Calandra Italian
American Institute. City University of New York. February 2008.
“Il Fuoco di Minonga”: The 1907 Mine Disaster and the Making of Transnational Identity in West Virginia.
The Darkest Month Coal Mining Symposium. The Heinz History Center, Pittsburgh, PA. December 2007.
“PhilaPlace: Designing and Implementing a Digital Neighborhood History and Culture Project.” Graduate
seminar: Public Arts, Liberal Arts: Applied Ethnography and Community Based Research. University of
Pennsylvania. November 2007.
“PhilaPlace: Designing and Implementing a Digital Neighborhood History and Culture Project.” GIS
Applications for Social Science School of Design Class. University of Pennsylvania. October 2007.
“Mapping Memories in Stone: Italians and the Transformation of a Philadelphia Landscape.” Immigrant and
Ethnic Communities in Philadelphia and Beyond Conference, Bryn Mawr College. October 28, 2005.
Discussant. “The Mother of Grace Club: Women, Vows, and Italian American Catholicism in Twenty-First
Century America.” Panel at “Gathering/Place: Folklore, Aesthetic Ecologies, and the Public Domain.” Fortieth
Anniversary Conference and Reunion of the Department of Folklore and Folklife. University of Pennsylvania.
Philadelphia, PA. April 2004.
“Remembering a Community’s Past: The Italians of Germantown and Chestnut Hill.” 14th Annual Cliveden
Educational Institute: “When the Truth Hurts: Telling American History’s Hard Stories.” Cliveden of the
National Trust. Philadelphia, PA. March 2003.
“A Stitching Life: Case Study of an Immigrant Woman.” Conference “Biancheria: Critical and Creative
Perspectives on Italian American Women’s Domestic Needlework.” Discussant: Jane Schneider. John D.
Calandra Italian American Institute. City University New York. March 2002.
“Italians in Public Memory: Pageantry, Power, and Imagining the Italian American, 1923–1940.” Balch Institute
for Ethnic Studies Faculty Forum. March 1999.
“Parades as Performance.” Performing History, Folk 103. University of Pennsylvania. March 1999.
“Italian American Ethnicity and Immigration.” Department of Folklore and Folklife. University of Pennsylvania.
Philadelphia, PA. April 1998.
Participant in panel for Applied and Public Folklore. Department of Folklore and Folklife. University of
Pennsylvania. Philadelphia, PA. February 1997.
“Italians in Public Memory: Pageantry, Power, and Imagining the Italian American.” Department of Folklore and
Folklife. University of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia, PA. March 1996.
Joan L. Saverino
15
“The Nitty-Gritty of Fieldwork: The Theoretical and the Real.” Department of Folklore and Folklife. University of
Pennsylvania. Philadelphia, PA. February 1992.
“Prehistoric, Parietal, and Mobiliary Art.” Department of Anthropology. The George Washington University.
Washington, DC. October 1979.
INVITED PUBLIC TALKS
“Mapping Memories in Stone: Italians and the Transformation of a Philadelphia Landscape.” TEDx afs.
Jenkintown, PA. May 2011.
“Through the Lens of Lace: Calabrian Women, Work, and the Making of Identity.” Day of the Woman Event.
Gloucester County Culture & Heritage Commission. Swedesboro, NJ. March 2010.
“PhilaPlace: Doing Local History.” Masterman High School. Philadelphia. January 2010.
“PhilaPlace.” Multicultural Affairs Congress. Philadelphia Convention and Tourist Bureau. November 2009.
“804 Christian, Mural Making, and Creating Public Memory.” Keynote at Unveiling of Mural at 9th Street
Market. City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, April 2009.
“PhilaPlace.” Emerging Leaders Philadelphia City Government. Art Institute of Philadelphia. January 2009.
“Careers in Publishing and Public History: Alternative Paths for MA's, ABD's and PhD's.” Career Services.
University of Pennsylvania. Panel participant. April 2007.
“Expressions of Ethnic Identity: Public and Private Lives of Italian Americans.” Filitalia Organization.
Haddonfield, NJ. February 2005.
“Memories in Artifact and Stone: Italians Build a Neighborhood.” Chestnut Hill Historical Society Lecture Series.
Philadelphia, PA. February 2004.
Expressions of Ethnic Identity: Public and Private Lives of Italian Americans.” Camden County College Lecture
series, “Italians in America: Stereotypes, Struggles and Successes. Camden, NJ. November 2003.
“Italian Immigration and Ethnicity in Pennsylvania.” School House Senior Center. Folsom, PA. April 2003.
“Italian Immigration and Ethnicity in Pennsylvania.” Sweetwater Center for the Arts. Sewickley, PA. March
2003.
“Italian Immigration and Ethnicity in Pennsylvania.” Haverford Township Free Library. Havertown, PA.
March 2003.
“Italian Immigration and Ethnicity in Pennsylvania.” Senior Community Services. Folsom, PA. October
2002.
Joan L. Saverino
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“Italian Immigrant Women in Pennsylvania.” Northampton County Historical and Genealogical Society.
Easton, PA. October 2002.
“Italian Immigration and Ethnicity in Pennsylvania.” Eckley Miners’ Village Associates. Wheatherly, PA.
September 2002.
“Italian Immigration and Ethnicity in Pennsylvania.” Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museum. Scranton,
PA. September 2002.
“Italian American Women.” Guest Speaker for workshop, “Discovering Your Female Ancestors.” Berks County
Genealogical Society. Laureldale, PA. May 2002.
“Italian Immigration and Ethnicity in Pennsylvania.” Historical Society of Montgomery County. Norristown,
PA. February 2002.
“Connecting, Collecting, Conserving: An Oral History Workshop.” Interactive workshop planned as part of
Germantown Historical Society Centennial Preservation Workshop Series. April 2001.
“The Italians of Berks County: Italian Origins, Emigration, and Arrival in Pennsylvania." Historical Society of
Berks County. Reading, Pa. October 1992.
"Celebration of Ethnic Textiles”. Demonstrated and discussed technique of traditional Italian needlework for
museum event. The Textile Museum. Washington, DC. June 1982.