Personal profile
Research overview
My research aims to examine how Black people in Italy negotiated their identity during the Fascist period in an era when Italian national identity was constructed and operationalised by the Fascist State as exclusively white. My research explores how Fascist colonial and racial policies, and discourses on race shaped the understanding of Blackness and Italianità and the impact of these on the lived experiences of Black people in Italy during the Fascist period from 1922-43.
My doctoral research is funded by the Wolfson Foundation.
I completed my MPhil at the University of Bristol where my research focused on anti-miscegenation laws in Italian East Africa and am a graduate of Trinity College Dublin where I graduated with the Gold Medal in European Studies.
Teaching activity
I currently tutor on the MO1008, IT1001, IT1002, IT1015, IT1016 modules
In the past, I worked on developing IT1014: Italian Histories
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Vercelli anni Venti: il caso dei fratelli Bin Mohamed
Lyons, M., 1 Jan 2026, Immaginari razziali in Italia dagli anni Venti a oggi. Milan: Mimesis editore, p. 113-126 14 p. (Transatlantic Transfers; vol. 6).Translated title of the contribution :Vercelli in the 1920s: the case of the Bin Mohamed siblings Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution
Open AccessFile -
Importing fascism: the Italian community’s fascist experience in interwar Scotland
Lyons, M., 26 Nov 2025, (E-pub ahead of print) In: First World War Studies. Latest ArticlesResearch output: Contribution to journal › Book/Film/Article review
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Proofing and editing of Irish people of colour: a social history of mixed race Irish in Britain and Ireland between 1700-2000
Association of Mixed Race Irish, 1 Oct 2024, London : Association of Mixed Race Irish.Research output: Other contribution
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Transforming the terrifying: fascist aesthetics then and now
Lyons, M., 2 Oct 2024, Differens Magazine, VI.Research output: Contribution to specialist publication › Article
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Transnational perspectives: pedagogical practices
Dahlman, A., Duncan, D. E., Elliot, L., Lyons, M. & O'Dwyer, C., 1 Aug 2023, In: Forum Italicum. 57, 2, p. 397-408 12 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile
Activities
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Oxford Race and Resistance Seminar
Lyons, M. (Speaker)
21 Nov 2025Activity: Talk or presentation types › Invited talk
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Modern History Seminar
Lyons, M. (Speaker)
18 Nov 2025Activity: Talk or presentation types › Presentation
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On the Body
Lyons, M. (Organiser) & Cox, J. (Organiser)
7 Nov 2025Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Participation in or organising a conference
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Oxford Transnational and Global History Seminar
Lyons, M. (Speaker)
22 Oct 2025Activity: Talk or presentation types › Invited talk
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Black History Month Talk
Lyons, M. (Speaker)
7 Oct 2025Activity: Talk or presentation types › Invited talk
Prizes
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Society for Italian Studies EDI Excellence Prize
Lyons, M. (Recipient), 17 Jan 2026
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Trinity College Dublin Gold Medal in European Studies
Lyons, M. (Recipient), Oct 2021
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)