Sara Gentile

Sara Gentile is Professor of Political Science and Political Language Analysis at the University of Catania, DSPS (Italy). She is a guest professor at Cevipof (SciencesPo) in Paris. She collaborates with the Feltrinelli Foundation in Milano in the team leading the "Political Innovation" research, in particular for the Populisms section. She studied political parties and especially charismatic power. She has analyzed populism in recent years; in particular the French case of the National Front and the Lega Nord de Bossi for Italy. Currently she is analyzing the Macron presidency and its communication to the presidential election.

Research theme

"Emmanuel Macron's communication between terrorism and coronavirus: secularism, Christianity, emergency"
"The president Macron's communication in the past year is very interesting for the analysis of his strategies and political choices in several aspects:

1. religion as a component of leadership and attachment to the transcendent;
2. the instrumental use of religion which leaders and political parties often use to maintain specific values and conquer the Catholic electorate.

My research will focus on the president’s analysis and communication, his political choices and therefore his strategies for gaining the trust of citizens, comparing it to that of other leaders."

Recent Publications

• Macron bifronte. La francia di Macron fra populismo e sconfitta della gauche, Milano, FrancoAngeli, 2019
• Populismo istituzioni: la presidenza Sarkozy, Milano, FrancoAngeli, 2013