Page Updated on October 19, 2023
Valeria has a PhD (Google Scholar Profile) in the social sciences from Cardiff Metropolitan University in the UK and has taught and worked as a researcher with the:
- University of Bath, UK
- University of Exeter. UK
- and Cardiff Metropolitan University, UK
Valeria has also taught at
- Hanguk University of Foreign Studies, South Korea
She also has a Master’s in Tourism Management and Economics from Ca’ Foscari University in Venice, Italy.
Before her PhD, Valeria’s experience included several years as a supervisor with Ofsted in Bristol, UK, and +5 years working as a manager for Cardiff University in an administration role.
Academic Publications
Journal articles
- Lo Iacono, V. (2022) Authenticity and Its Implications for Intangible Cultural Heritage: The Case Study of the Dance Genre Egyptian Raqs Sharqi in Heritage and Society Journal.
- Fallon, J. M. and Loiacono, V. (2022) What’s Past Is Prologue: Oral History’s Offer to Hospitality and Tourism Research in the book ‘Contemporary Research Methods in Hospitality and Tourism’.
- Loiacono, V. and Fallon, J. M. (2018) ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage Beyond Borders: Egyptian Bellydance (Raqs Sharqi) as a Form of Transcultural Heritage’, Journal of Intercultural Studies, 39(3), pp. 286–304. doi: 10.1080/07256868.2018.1463842.
- Lo Iacono, Valeria, and David H. K. Brown. 2016. “Beyond Binarism: Exploring a Model of Living Cultural Heritage for Dance.” The Journal of the Society for Dance Research 34(1):84-105. doi: 10.3366/drs.2016.0147.
(http://www.euppublishing.com/doi/abs/10.3366/drs.2016.0147)
This article critically examines the UNESCO 2003 definition of Intangible Cultural Heritage, by questioning the feasibility of separating tangible from intangible forms of heritage. The argument is underpinned by sociological theories of embodiment. Dance, as a form of cultural heritage, is used in the article to illustrate the alternative model of living heritage that is presented. - Lo Iacono Valeria, Paul Symonds, and David H. K. Brown (2016). Skype as a Tool for Qualitative Research Interviews. Sociological Research Online, 21|2: http://www.socresonline.org.uk/21/2/12.html
- Paul Symonds, David H. K. Brown, and Lo Iacono Valeria. 2017. “Exploring an Absent Presence: Wayfinding as an Embodied Sociocultural Experience”. Sociological Research Online, 22 (1), 5: http://www.socresonline.org.uk/22/1/5.html
Non-academic Press
- Loiacono Symonds, Valeria. 2017. “Intangible Cultural Heritage and Serious Leisure. Tourism: The journal for tourism professionals 168:33. (Journal of the Tourism Society)
- Lo Iacono Symonds, Valeria. 2017. When does borrowing become cultural appropriation in dance? The Conversation.
Conference Papers
- Wayfinding on Cruise Ships: A Complex Activity in Tourism Practice. – Royal Geographical Society-IBG Annual International Conference, London, 1st September 2017.
- Is VoIP a Feasible Tool for Dance Research? Use of Skype for Qualitative Interviews on Dance as Transcultural Heritage. – DanceHE Symposium, University of Bedfordshire, Bedford, 7th April 2016.
- Can video-sharing sites be valid platforms to archive, share, and re-live dance as heritage? The case of Egyptian Raqs sharqi. – Digital Echoes, Coventry University, Coventry, 4th March 2016.
- Can online videos be powerful tools to curate dance as a form of cultural heritage? The case of Egyptian Raqs sharqi. – Presented at PopMoves, University of Roehampton, London, 24th October 2015.
- How do we protect living cultural heritage? – Presented at Breaking Boundaries, Cardiff University, Cardiff, 23rd April 2015.
Awards
- Best Student Poster at Cardiff Metropolitan University Symposium, 5th May 2016.
- Best Presentation Prize at Cardiff University Breaking Boundaries conference, 23rd April 2015.
Teaching and Research Experience
- Owner of Symonds Training, offering training course materials including on equality and diversity and employee training.
- January 2019 – April 2019: Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Exeter, UK, Department of Education. The research project was a systematic literature review on high school religious education teachers’ epistemologies.
- February 2017 – July 2018: Teaching Fellow at the University of Bath, UK, teaching sociology of tourism, leisure, and sport, and supervising students’ dissertations.
- Visiting Lecturer for the ‘Sporting Bodies and Social Identities’ master course in Cardiff Metropolitan University, on the topics of sociology, heritage, and identity and qualitative research methods.
- Guest lecturer in the School of Dance at Cardiff Metropolitan University, in the module of Analytical and Contextual Studies on the topic of Hybridism and Authenticity in Dance.
- Delivered lectures at Cardiff Metropolitan University in qualitative research methods, including using online videos to curate and analyze dance as a form of cultural heritage and qualitative interviews using Skype.
- Hourly paid lecturer at Cardiff Metropolitan University, teaching research methods and sociological research at undergraduate and master level.
- Lecturer of Italian language and culture at Hanguk University of Foreign Studies, (Seoul, South Korea).
- Teaching Egyptian-style belly dance classes in Cardiff, UK, for many years. I have taught groups of up to 30 people, one-to-one classes, workshops, and hen party groups.
Qualifications
Academic Qualifications
- Ph.D. in Dance and Cultural Heritage at Cardiff Metropolitan University, Cardiff, Wales, UK.
- Master in Tourism Management and Economics from Ca’ Foscari University in Venice (Italy).
- First class honors degree in Preservation of Cultural Heritage from Universita’ degli Studi della Tuscia (Viterbo, Italy).
Involved with education for over 25 years, Valeria has taught at the University of Bath and Cardiff Metropolitan University (both UK) & Hankuk University (Korea). With a PhD, she has also worked as a researcher (Exeter University) & has many years of industry experience including with Cardiff University in management roles. She is the founder of Symonds Training.
Latest posts by Dr Valeria (Lo Iacono) Symonds (see all)
- Strategic Thinking Activity Exercise - October 23, 2023
- 7 Free Task and Job Crafting Training Exercises, Activities, and Icebreakers - October 23, 2023
- What Is Job Crafting and How It Helps Employee Motivation & Engagement - October 22, 2023
