I processi di costruzione dell’Alterità nella manualistica scolastica liceale

Abstract

The paper investigates the representations of Otherness in ten highly adopted textbooks for Italian upper general secondary school (liceo). It focuses on how the Other is represented and dealt with, and compares the space given to the topic in different narratives. The research uses a diachronic approach to evaluate the extent to which the representation of Otherness in relation to Europeans changes from the early modern period to imperialism. It identifies three different phases when racial stereotypes emerge: the conquest of America, the development of a world economy in the 18th century and the rise of imperialism in the second half of the 19th century.