Giuseppe Acconcia is a postdoctoral researcher and lecturer in Political Sociology and Geopolitics of the Middle East at the University of Padua, Department of Political Science, Law, and International Studies (SPGI), Italy. He holds a PhD degree in politics at the University of London (Goldsmiths). His research interests focus on social movements, state, and transformation in the Middle East.

Lorenza Perini is a researcher at the Department of Political Science, Law, and International Studies (SPGI), University of Padua, Italy. She holds a PhD degree in contemporary history and in urban planning. She teaches gender policies and globalization. She is a member of the Equal Opportunities Committee and the Gender Studies Research Centre (CEC) at the same University.