Domenico Valenza

Domenico is a policy analyst in EU and Eastern Europe affairs and a practitioner of cultural diplomacy and international cultural relations.

As a research fellow at Ghent University and United Nations University, Domenico analyses the EU’s and Russia’s cultural diplomacies in the former Soviet region. To this end, he developed a qualitative framework based on multi-sited physical and digital ethnography, and including participant observation and in-depth interviews. His research project included fieldwork in Russia, Moldova and Armenia. Complementing his research skills, Domenico has also worked as a cultural officer at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs where, as a team coordinator, he contributed to the preparation of Italy’s foresight document on language diplomacy. He is currently on academic leave from the MFA. In addition to Italian, he also speaks English, French and Russian. Through his double ‘hat’ of researcher and practitioner, Domenico brings specialised insight on research methodologies, a 7-year expertise in public and cultural relations, and an interest in the listening side of foreign policy practices.