Lorenzo Milani, The School of Barbiana and the Struggle for Social Justice (Education and Struggle)

This book sheds light on the work of one of the 20 th century’s foremost critical educators, the Italian Lorenzo Milani (1923–1967), on the 90 th anniversary of his birth. It provides an exposition and critical analysis of the ideas contained in his writings, ideas that emerged from his experiences in two Tuscan localities. The work of Milani and the School of Barbiana that he directed provide signposts for a critically and sociologically engaged pedagogy. Important themes include education and class politics; education and imperialism; education and the culture of militarization; the collective dimensions of learning and writing; peer tutoring; critical media literacy; and reading history against the grain. These ideas are analyzed with reference to similar and contrasting ideas by other international educators, scholars and thinkers. As the book argues, Milani’s oeuvre contains important ingredients for a social justice-oriented critical pedagogy. The spirit for this pedagogical approach is captured in the School of Barbiana’s motto ‘I care.’ «As this volume shows, there was quite sufficient material in the Letters to make them extremely significant resources for the development of a critical pedagogy which enabled a move beyond the curriculum as the crucial area of educational contestation.» (From the Preface by Roger Dale, Universities of Bristol and Auckland) «This cleverly written and sensible book reveals the soul of Lorenzo Milani as manifest throughout his life and action. During the past 46 years, we have seldom had occasion to read such a good and exhaustive summary of the concepts and facts that lie at the heart of Lorenzo Milani's life and human experience. Hic est aut nusquam quod quaerimus.» (The 'evergreen' pupils of Don L. Milani, Don Milani & Barbiana School, Training & Research Center, Vicchio-Florence) «This rare contribution to the literature bears witness to the reasons educators around the globe must work to formidably rethink critical traditions derived primarily from North American theories of schooling. Through skillfully engaging the revolutionary force of Italian educator Lorenzo Milani's pedagogy and the passion of Lettera a una Professoressa, Federico Batini, Peter Mayo, and Alessio Surian move us brilliantly toward an international vision of critical pedagogy - a humanizing vision firmly anchored upon the everyday lives of those who most suffer the ravages of capitalism's discontent.» (Antonia Darder, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles; author of Culture and Power in the Classroom and Reinventing Paulo Freire: A Pedagogy of Love) «The pedagogical work of Lorenzo Milani is original, inspirational, and relevant for today's realities. A radical democratic educator, he used collective writing as critical literacy production with his young students. His ideas and practices certainly deserve more international attention, and this book provides an engaging and thoughtful introduction to them. Batini, Mayo, and Surian make an important and timely contribution to the field of critical pedagogy. This is a must-read for all those interested in the connections between education and social justice.» (Daniel Schugurensky, School of Social Transformation, Arizona State University) Cover 1 Contents 9 Preface 11 Chapter 1. Introduction: Lorenzo Milani’s Relevance to Our Times 15 Critical Pedagogy 15 Other Italian Pedagogues 16 International Following 17 The Lettera and Other Texts 18 Learning History in an Age of Militarization 19 Anticipating/Complementing Critical Sociology of Education 21 Antidote to Measuring Schools 22 Rekindling Interest in Milani in a Period of Indignation 23 Chapter 2. Don Milani and His Time 24 His Education and Conversion: The Years of Fascism 24 The Italian Political Situation: After Fascism and the Birth of Christian Democracy 30 Ordainment as Priest and the San Donato Years 34 The San Donato Experience and Italian State Schools of the Time 40 The Transfer 43 The Barbiana School: The Beginnings 47 Changes to the Italian School System in the Mid-1950s 51 Pastoral Experiences: A Book Withdrawn from Publication 52 The Late Period 55 Chapter 3. Lorenzo Milani and the School of Barbiana’s Pedagogical Approach 64 Milani and Other Critical Pedagogues: Any Influence? 65 ’68 and All That! 66 Underlying Common Influence: Radical Christianity 68 Gender and Other Forms of Difference 71 Blood, Sweat, and Tears 74 Education, Politics, “Class Suicide,” and Social Justice 76 The Worlds of “Having” and “Being” 82 Lessons from Lorenzo Milani and the San Donato/Barbiana Experiences 93 Chapter 4. Writing as Collective Literacy 95 Writing as an Art Form 98 The Letters to Mario Lodi’s Pupils 100 Letter by the Barbiana Pupils to the Piadena Pupils 102 The Second Letter by the Barbiana Pupils 106 Steps to a Collective Approach to Writing 111 Step 1: Choosing the Theme and the Reader 113 Step 2: Collecting Ideas 113 Step 3: Clustering Ideas According to Chapters and Paragraphs 113 Step 4: Organizing Ideas within Chapters and Paragraphs 114 Step 5: Writing the Full Text 114 Step 6: General Revision of the Full Text 115 Step 7: Simplifying and Improving the Full Text 115 Step 8: Revision of the Full Text by External Actors 115 Collective Writing as Critical Literacy Practice 117 Notes 119 Chapter 1 119 Chapter 2 119 Chapter 3 125 Chapter 4 127 References 129 Name Index 137 Subject Index 139 This book sheds light on the work of one of the 20th century’s foremost critical educators, the Italian Lorenzo Milani (1923–1967), on the 90th anniversary of his birth. It provides an exposition and critical analysis of the ideas contained in his writings, ideas that emerged from his experiences in two Tuscan localities. The work of Milani and the School of Barbiana that he directed provide signposts for a critically and sociologically engaged pedagogy. Important themes include education and class politics; education and imperialism; education and the culture of militarization; the collective dimensions of learning and writing; peer tutoring; critical media literacy; and reading history against the grain. These ideas are analyzed with reference to similar and contrasting ideas by other international educators, scholars and thinkers. As the book argues, Milani’s oeuvre contains important ingredients for a social justice-oriented critical pedagogy. The spirit for this pedagogical approach is captured in the School of Barbiana’s motto ‘I care.’ Introduction: Lorenzo Milani's Relevance For Our Times -- Don Lorenzo Milani And His Time -- Lorenzo Milani And The School Of Barbiana's Pedagogical Approach -- Writing As Collective Literacy. Federico Batini, Peter Mayo, And Alessio Surian. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 115-122) And Index.