Laura Ruberto Will Lead Italian American Review
The longtime Berkeley City College educator will assume her new editorial role starting on January 1, 2027.
Updated on Oct. 14, 2026 in Language Learning
Laura E. Ruberto will take over as editor of the Italian American Review on January 1, 2027. She currently leads the Humanities and Film Studies programs at Berkeley City College.
Why it matters
Her appointment connects local academic leadership to a major peer-reviewed journal focused on the Italian American experience. This transition highlights the ongoing scholarly contributions from Berkeley faculty to cultural studies.
Laura E. Ruberto has served on the Berkeley City College faculty for 20 years and is the author of Gramsci, Migration, and the Representation of Women's Work in Italy and the U.S. She is also the co-editor of the two-volume work New Italian Migrations to the United States.
The players
Laura E. Ruberto
She is a long-standing educator who directs the Humanities and Film Studies programs at Berkeley City College.
Italian American Review
This bi-annual, peer-reviewed journal is published by the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute.
Berkeley City College
Located in Berkeley, this institution is part of the Peralta Community College District and hosts various humanities programs.
The details
The Italian American Review is a bi-annual, peer-reviewed publication produced by the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute. Ruberto currently serves as a primary investigator for an Australian Research Council project that tracks creative output during the Second World War.
Timeline
Laura E. Ruberto will begin her appointment as editor on January 1, 2027.
Culture Shift
The transition of editorial leadership reflects broader trends in the humanities, where educators increasingly bridge the gap between classroom teaching and professional academic publishing. This move highlights how local faculty expertise continues to shape national discourse in cultural and historical studies.
For students and local academics in Berkeley, this appointment reinforces the city's role as a hub for humanities scholarship and global research. It signifies that local educators are actively influencing the broader academic landscape in cultural studies.
The takeaway
Ruberto's move demonstrates the career pathways available to long-term faculty in the humanities. Her transition from two decades of teaching into a prominent editorial role offers a model for balancing academic instruction with high-level scholarly research.
Further reading
Learn more about local educational developments in Language Learning.
Source note: This article includes information reported by La Voce di New York.
