Per una pedagogia dell'armonia: oltre l'aut aut accoglienza/diffidenza

Abstract

Among the most pressing educational challenges of the twenty-first century, immigration undeniably deserves special attention. Having been a hotly-debated issue for years both nationally and at EU level, the complexity and urgency of immigration have given rise to a number of political debates, drawing media attention and leading to confrontations between polar opposite factions and schools of thought. On the one hand, there are the Catholic world and the progressive left, which, respectively, endorse personalism, the social doctrine of the Church and the latest interpretations of social democracy; on the other hand, there are nationalist and sovereigntist movements informed by racist and neo- Nazi and fascist ideologies. These positions lie at a crossroads between two well-established paradigms: welcome and mistrust. However, the welcome-mistrust dichotomy has only just overcomplicated the issue. What should we do then? How do we overcome the impasse? Is there even a way out of it? To this end, our contribution aims to provide a way out of the impasse, a solution which does not necessarily call for the development of a brand-new paradigm. Accordingly, one way out of the impasse might well be to look at the ‘welcome-mistrust’ dichotomy from the perspective of education. While drawing on realistic principles, education nonetheless offers a chance to overcome the above-mentioned antinomy through dialogue, tolerance, and integration. We shall employ a phenomenological-hermeneutic pedagogy of awareness, harmony, dialogue; in other words, a pedagogy actively engaged in finding solutions to the current crisis through a culture of solidarity based on decentralisation itself, empathy, care, and respect for others. This, in turn, should pave the way for new educational paths in our society, promoting social behaviours based on a culture of diversity, mutual assistance, and, above all, on the development of a common sense capable of replacing the existing dichotomies and of fostering tolerance and inclusion in the process.