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Staff Profile

  • Dr Farini’s academic background is rooted in Social Sciences, with a PhD in Sociology of Intercultural Communication (University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 2008), MA in Social Anthropology (University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 2005) and a second MA in Social History (University of Bologna, 2002). He worked as a Researcher and Lecturer in Sociology of Education, Childhood Studies, Youth Studies and Intercultural communication at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (2005-2013) and as Research Fellow at the University of Urbino (Sociology) and University of Bologna (Early Modern History).

    Between 2013 and 2015 Dr Farini worked as Research Fellow and Lecturer in Education at Middlesex University in London, where he was a founding member of the Centre for Educational Research and Leadership. Before Joining the University of Northampton, Dr Farini worked as Senior Lecturer in Sociology of Early Childhood at University of Suffolk. Dr Farini is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

  • Dr Farini’s expertise in social research is a resource for his teaching. He has taught Research Methods on modules across all undergraduate and postgraduate levels, while supervising undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD dissertation projects. Dr Farini has a rich experience in teaching research methods to students who are not (yet) familiar with the epistemology of social sciences.

    Dr Farini has taught 15 modules across all undergraduate and postgraduate levels in English HE institutions, taking responsibilities as co-leader or leader for most of them. He has developed several new modules and been involved in the re-validation of BA and MA programmes. Dr Farini’s profile as a professional educator is further reinforced by his experiences as an external examiner for BA programmes at Manchester Metropolitan University, St. Mark and St. John University in Plymouth and Sheffield Hallam University.

    Dr Farini’s contribution to the research capacity of his institutions also includes supervision of doctoral students, following Director of Studies Training at Middlesex University, and recognition of qualification as a Primary PhD supervisor granted by Essex University and East Anglia University. Recently, he has successfully completed further PhD supervision training at Essex University and University of Suffolk.

  • For almost 20 years now, several successful research bids have made it possible for Dr Farini to apply knowledge and skills to empirical investigations. He has been researching professionally through national and international projects in fields of Sociology of Intercultural Communication, Cultural Sociology, Globalization Theories, Social Theory, Communication Studies, Sociology of Education, Youth and Childhood studies, Policy evaluation, and the sociolinguistic analysis of interaction. Other areas of expertise concern Equality and Social Justice in access to education and healthcare, Sociology of Conflict and Peace Studies.

    Dr Farini takes pride in the commitment to positive impact on communities that characterises his research and teaching. Since 2003, he has been researching and developing training opportunities within projects supported by European and national Agencies, regional and Local Authorities. Dr Farini’s research concerns the inclusion of migrant children and young people in education, youth subcultures and cultural studies, migrant-friendly services, conflict management, intercultural education, client-centred interpreting in healthcare and education, and the role of digital media in the diffusion of knowledge.

    Dr Farini also had an important role in planning and managing the Centre for Educational Research and Scholarship (CERS) at Middlesex University, leading the Special Interest Group Network (SIGN), ‘Childhood and Society’ for two years, optimising resources and expertise while securing the active involvement of academics, professionals, students and stakeholders.

    Dr Farini has authored numerous successful research bids (for an estimated amount of £600,000 directly attributable to him), including large scale projects. Some of the most recent projects include:  ‘Shared Memories for Dialogues’ (SHARMED, Erasmus+ KA3) to promote the inclusion of migrant-background children in the classroom, linking to both intercultural education and the use of digital technology; ‘Spatial Practices in Art and Architecture for Empathetic Exchange’ (Erasmus+ Marie Skłodowska-Curie) to transform urban space in places of democratic participation through public art with the participation of 27 partners; ‘Children Hybrid Integration: Learning Dialogue as a way of Upgrading Policies of Participation’ (Horizon 2020), to research the social conditions of migrant children’s integration, taking in primary account gender differences, legal status and age groups, with the final aim to propose an innovative approach to understand and transform their social condition.

    In 2015 Dr Farini worked with the London Borough of Waltham Forest towards the development of Leyton Jubilee Park as a meeting place for a multicultural community. Earlier in his career, Dr Farini was the principal investigator and advisor within an EU-funded project under the program ‘Fundamental Rights and Citizenship, 2007-2013’. The Project (‘Local Forums for Participatory Democracy’) offered the opportunity to research on the impact of digital media on social participation and in the dissemination of knowledge(s) among children and adolescents. Dr Farini is currently a member of the European Research Network Trust dynamics in the governance of children and youth (Roskilde University, Denmark). In 2014 he was elected as vice-president of the International Sociological Association Research Committee 25, Language in Society and editor of its peer-reviewed journal, ‘Language, Discourse and Society’. Some of his professional memberships include the British Educational Research Association, British Sociological Association, European Sociological Association, International Association of Dialogue Analysis, International Pragmatics Association, Society of Science and Technology Studies.

    In 2014 Dr Farini was appointed by the Swiss Government as reviewer of research projects under the COST European Co-operation in the Field of Science and Technology framework. In the last few years he has become reviewer for UNESCO Newton Prize, for the Italian Ministry for Education, University and Scientific Research, for the Programme Rita Levi Montalcini and the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships programme.  Dr Farini is also a member of the PhD Studies Committee for the School of Human and Social Sciences at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia.

  • For publications, projects, datasets, research interests and activities, view Federico Farini’s research profile on Pure, the University of Northampton’s Research Explorer.

  • Dr Farini has published more than 60 peer-reviewed books chapters, articles and edited books in Italian, English and Slovenian language and has presented research papers at numerous international conference. He serves as a referee for journals such as: Language and Education, International Journal of Educational Research, International Journal of Leadership in Education, Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour, Journal of Peace Education.

    This is a list of some of my most recent publications:

    • Farini, F., Scollan, A. (Eds.). (to be published 09/2017). Childhood in the mirror. The reflexive construction of children’s self-determination in discourses, policies and practices. Amsterdam: Springer
    • Farini, F. 2017. School Activism. The meanings of political participation of young migrants in Italian Schools. In: Race, R. (Ed.). Advancing Multicultural Dialogues in Education. London: Palgrave Macmillan
    • Farini, F. 2017. Manufacturers of citizens. Outlines and perspectives of a critical theory of political socialization. In: Baraldi, C., Cockburn, T. (Eds.) Theorising Childhood: Citizenship, Rights, and Participation. London: Sage
    • Farini, F. 2016. Affective Formulations in Multilingual Healthcare Settings. In: Kasper, G. Prior, M, (Eds.). Talking emotions in multilingual settings. Amsterdam: Benjamins, pp.179-204
    • Farini, F. 2016. Meanings and forms of intercultural coordination: the pragmatics of interpreter-mediated healthcare communication, pp. 27-47. In: Bianchi, F., Gesuato, S. (Eds.). Pragmatic issues in specialized communicative contexts. Utrecht: Brill-Rodopi
    • Farini, F., Natacha, N. (2016) Plurilingual communication in healthcare: Interlinguistic and intercultural mediation, pp. 81-100. In: Vecchiato, S., Gerolimich, S. and N.Komninos (Eds.), Pluriligualism in Healthcare. London: Bica
    • Farini, F. 2015. Talking emotions in multilingual healthcare settings. A qualitative study of interpreter-mediated interaction in Italian hospitals. The Interpreters’ Newsletter, 20: 123-128
    • Farini, F. 2014. Pragmatics of emotions in interlinguistic healthcare settings. Research in Language, 11 (2): 163–187, DOI: 10.2478/v10015-012-0025-5
    • Farini, F. 2014. Media theory and web-based groups as social systems. In: Mancini, G., Angrisani, M. (a cura di) Mapping systemic knowledge. Saarbruecken: LAP Lambert, pp. 53-78
    • Farini, F. 2014. Trust building as a strategy to avoid unintended consequences of education. The case study of international summer camps designed to promote peace and intercultural dialogue among adolescents. Journal of Peace Education, 11, (1): 81-100
    • Farini, F. 2014. Interpretation as a form of mediation for the bilingual dialogue between foreign citizens and institutions. A qualitative study of interpreted-mediated doctor-patient communication in Italian hospitals. JOSTRANS, Journal of Specialized Translation, 20