This project aims to catalog, select, and make accessible documentation about anti-Semitic policies and the expulsion of Jews from the University of Rome following the racial laws of 1938.

Launched in 2018, on the 80th anniversary of the racial laws, the project has mapped, cataloged, and indexed archival materials from the Sapienza Historical Archive. These resources are now available through the online portal 1938-Sapienza Racial Laws, offering an open-access database, a reference bibliography, and research pathways that will continue to expand over time. The project highlights the impact of Fascist anti-Semitism on Italian universities, focusing on its origins, mechanisms, and effects on academia and society.

The research began with a comprehensive mapping of sources in the Sapienza Historical Archive and a census of victims: men and women, internationally renowned scholars, young researchers, faculty members, technical staff, and support personnel. This initial work has both consolidated existing knowledge and identified new research avenues. The variety of life stories uncovered through archival research and the richness of thematic insights have inspired a biographical approach to the investigation. So far, around 4,000 documents from the Personnel Office’s archive have been catalogued, covering the individual files of 67 expelled individuals (61 men and 6 women), including:

• 8 full professors, 2 emeritus professors, and 1 contracted professor,
• 26 private lecturers,
• 12 assistants and aides,
• 15 volunteer assistants and aides,
• foreign language instructors,
• and 1 technical staff member.

The University of Rome, as Italy's largest university and a symbol of the Fascist regime, is a key case study. The project investigates the university’s role in enforcing discriminatory policies, the effects on its community, and how racist ideologies shaped teachings and knowledge. It also reconstructs the lives and careers of those expelled, revealing their academic, social, and personal networks.

Key achievements include:

• Mapping the Sapienza Historical Archive and identifying victims, from renowned scholars to technical staff.
• Cataloging 4,000 documents related to 67 individuals expelled under the racial laws.
• Reconstructing biographies and connections within the academic and scientific communities.

The project continues to expand in two main directions:

1. Further archival research to fill gaps and uncover additional cases.
2. Exploring broader themes, such as the introduction of anti-Semitic ideologies in university teachings and the exclusion of Jewish culture.

In addition to the online platform, active since 2023, the project shares findings through publications, conferences, podcasts, and educational workshops involving university and high school students, in collaboration with the Fondazione Museo della Shoah.

Supported by Sapienza University and the Fondazione Museo della Shoah, the project has developed in three phases:

• Progetto di Ateneo 2018: The 1938 Racial Laws at the "Regia Università di Roma": Sources, Biographies, Memories
• Progetto Terza Missione Indirizzi strategici 2023: Sapienza per la memoria. L’applicazione delle Leggi Razziali nella Regia Università di Roma
• Progetto Grande di Ateneo 2024: Sapienza 1938. Archives, Legacies, stories