Luca Nevola holds a PhD degree in socio-cultural anthropology from the University of Milano-Bicocca. Since 2009 he has undertaken several periods of fieldwork research in northern Yemen, especially in Beny Matar and in the Old City of Sanaa. His PhD thesis examines the role of genealogical constructs in essentialising professional caste groups in the Yemeni highlands. He currently works as a legal advisor in a reception facility for asylum seekers in northern Italy.