From empire to the classroom: deconstructing racism in schools through historical analysis and decolonial practice

Abstract

Educational institutions have historically contributed to the construction of dictatorial, colonialist, and racist systems, generating asymmetric global structures. Decolonial practices guide us toward an awareness of the persistence of contemporary social, epistemic, and educational injustice, and its connection to the oppressive dynamics of the past.

This article brings into dialogue the sources from the “Archivio dell’Istituto Missioni della Consolata”, present in Somalia during the fascist regime, with the voices of some witnesses and researchers. It analyzes the representations of Africans, disseminated both in Italy and Somalia, and their contribution to the construction of a racist mentality based on a pronounced color line. The article explores the implications of these legacies in contemporary educational practice in Italy, highlighting the complexity of inclusion and exclusion dynamics linked to colonial continuity. Understanding these dynamics is essential for developing new strategies for anti-racism