Within the framework of the reemergence of the theme of antifascism in contemporary educational theory, this paper raises the question of whether antifascism may be considered as a genuinely educational concept. Moreover, it investigates whether and to what extent the idea of antifascist education should remain anchored to an explicit reference to…

After the Second World War, the Italian educational context in Italy was distinguished by a network of different democratic and antiauthoritarian pedagogical ideas and educational experiences, developed as heterogeneous forms of New Education. The "Movimento di Cooperazione Educativa" (MCE), inspired by Freinet's popular pedagogy and…

This paper examines the early history of the Friuli Mosaic School (FMS), an Italian arts and crafts school specialising in mosaic and terrazzo. The history of the FMS opens up a rare window into an often-overlooked field in the history of education: arts and crafts schools in Fascist Italy (1922-1943). Then, the FMS excelled in mosaic education…

The contribution deals critically with the issue of citizenship and children's rights, identifying a silent void starting from the change we have witnessed with the progressive questioning of the principles, secular, and religious, of adult authority and the sacrosanct affirmation rights of minors and their defence against violence and abuse. This…

This essay focuses on the disavowed histories of Italy's fascist past with a specific focus on how select historical disavowals reverberate in the present through the law of restricted citizenship, policies governing the lives of migrants, and recent pro-natal campaigns. I take as the occasion for my discussion, the 2017 exhibit at the "Museo…

Since the 1980s, right-wing extremism, radicalism, and populism have emerged as transformative forces in European politics. This unexpected resurgence has triggered an interdisciplinary scholarly effort to refine our understanding of the far right. Educationalists, however, have largely been absent from this endeavour, leaving us unable to…

This historical study explores how educators in the United States responded to the rise of fascism between the World Wars. By considering and then ultimately rejecting the fascist approach to education and philosophy, American educators defined democratic education in contrast to fascist/totalitarian approaches to education by rejecting…

This paper focuses on three Southern European countries, Italy, Portugal and Spain, to explore examples of projects that provide signposts for a critical popular education that contributes to an ongoing democratic process--one whereby citizens are developed as social actors and members of a collectivity rather than simply passive…

Despite the prohibition on punishment in the form of emotional, psychological and physical abuse under the Fascist school regulations, it was common--particularly in Italian rural classrooms--for the purpose of managing and disciplining students. Sticks, "chickpeas" or "donkey desks" represent just a few examples of the methods…

Only at the beginning of the Twentieth century, a confessional type of publishing, directed mainly at schools and teachers and devoted, almost exclusively, to publishing textbooks for every level and type of school, came into existence in Italy. In the period between the two World Wars and especially after the Gentile Reform (1923), this type of…

The A. retraces an articulated overview of the most recent historical studies in a field which has undergone the most intense and productive development in the last decade, such as the field of schoolbook publishing and textbooks, and more in general, of the history of schools in the unified Italy. On the basis of a rich archival documentation and…

A recently formulated correspondence hypothesis states that influence style effectiveness depends on how it fits in with the communication contract activated in the context of influence: almost symmetrical relationships require respectful styles, while authoritarian styles are more effective when the social distance between the influence source…