Eleonora Barbieri Masini is a lawyer by profession with specialization in Comparative Law and in Sociology. Professor of Social Forecasting at the Institute of Social Sciences, Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, she is also an active member of numerous associations.
Background
Ethnicity:
Masini's father was Italian and her mother was British.
Eleonora Barbieri Masini was born on November 19, 1928 in Los Amates, Izabal, Guatemala; the daughter of Vincenzo and Edith Frances (Fullerton) Barbieri.
Education
When at university, Eleonora studied comparative law, Roman and common law. Later, as a postgraduate in sociology, she started to concentrate on social change. Her academic interest in studying the future began. Masini holds a Doctor of Laws from the University of Rome.
Career
Eleonora Barbieri Masini is teaching Futures Studies at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Gregorian University in Rome since 1976 and since 1990 she holds also the course in Human Ecology. In the last academic year she has been teaching a doctoral course in futures studies. She has also taught at the IUC (International University Center) in Dubrovnik from 1977 to 1991 and was visiting professor, Minnesota St. Cloud University in 1986.
She has been Secretary General for five years and President for ten years of the World Futures Studies Federation. She is member of the Club of Rome since 1975 and member of the Board of Directors of the World Future Society. She has been until 1997 president of the International Sociological Association's Research Committee 7, Future Research, and Vice President for Europe of the World Academy of Art and Sciences until 1995.
Her major interests are futures studies, principles and methodologies, value changes and the role of women in the future. She has coordinated projects for United Nations University and UNESCO. The last two on the futures of cultures and the Project WIN (Women International Network) Emergency and Solidarity which is still being developed with women's groups all over the world which have faced or are facing, in different ways, emergencies such as conflicts, wars, environmental disaster etc.
She is the author of books and publications among: “Visions of Desirable Societies” in 1983, “Women, Household and Age” in 1991, “Why Futures studies?” in 1993, “Penser le futur”, 2000, “Futures research and sociological analysis” in The International Handbook of Sociology edited by Stella Quah, 2000, “A sociologist’s experience” in Advancing Futures edited by James Dator 2002, “Values and Actions for the Future” in 2003 for WFSF Budapest Futures Course Action for the future.