The past decades have seen significant changes in the way same-sex sexualities are regulated in E... more The past decades have seen significant changes in the way same-sex sexualities are regulated in European countries, albeit discrimination and heterosexism are still occurring on a daily basis. The research through semi-structured interviews was conducted on lesbian and gay respondents in France, Iceland, Italy and Spain, four European countries with different social contexts and legal frameworks. In a comparative perspective, it examines how laws are perceived to impact one’s relationships and one’s parental project. Discrimination is still present in the four countries at different degrees, however the existence of laws on access to marriage and parenting is regarded by many as crucial for fostering inclusion. From a social and economic point of view, the narratives evidenced that the law is not only a framework to live within: when legal support is provided, adaptation to the heteronormative structures are facilitated and welcomed by all while this lack of support makes everyday l...
Within an increasingly open and composite scenario of practices and representations of paternity,... more Within an increasingly open and composite scenario of practices and representations of paternity, the article is focused on the ways couples of homosexual fathers experience their relationship with the educational services attended by their children. The contribution, based on the qualitative data of the Family Lives research, explores in particular the ways in which a men’s couple with children represents a sort of “double unexpected phenomenon” from a symbolic point of view for the professionals working in educational services and its possible consequences. On the one hand, these couples represent an unforeseen family pattern as far as concerns the parental bond between two fathers and their children, a bond that at this time in Italy does not enjoy legal recognition or a collectively shared and accepted morphology; on the other hand, the unexpected dimension refers to the disruption of a set of expectations and implicit beliefs about gender roles that shades light on the lack of ...
Introdotte dal moderatore Francesco Muollo (Dottorando in Studi di Genere - Universita degli Stud... more Introdotte dal moderatore Francesco Muollo (Dottorando in Studi di Genere - Universita degli Studi di Napoli “Federico II”) Giulia Selmi e Silvia Leonelli presentano le loro relazioni, incentrate sul rapporto tra genere e strategie educative. Giulia Selmi analizza i termini che definiscono la categoria di genere, risultato di una contrattazione tra individui e societa: le idee sottostanti alla differenza tra i generi si basano su una pratica performativa, pertanto il sistema educativo puo essere determinante, modificandole oppure confermandole e difendendole. Un‟educazione capace di offrire una pluralita di modelli identitari di genere deve investire insegnanti, genitori e giovani per decostruire gli stereotipi dominanti. Silvia Leonelli illustra caratteristiche e storia della pedagogia di genere in Italia, scandita dai suoi diversi paradigmi: la “pedagogia dell‟eguaglianza” (anni Settanta), mirante a dimostrare come esistesse uno iato tra i diritti e le prerogative dei sessi, sopra...
... dai gruppi e dalle reti che in Italia si mobilitano contro la precarietà, mostreremo come l .... more ... dai gruppi e dalle reti che in Italia si mobilitano contro la precarietà, mostreremo come l ... momento,a tematizzare esplicitamente) l'ordine simbolico di genere che fa da sfondo tanto ... sociali, proble-matizzando così le relazioni tra soggettività individuale e collettiva, lavoro e non ...
Addressing the problem of gender-based violence is a fundamental imperative to building a democra... more Addressing the problem of gender-based violence is a fundamental imperative to building a democratic society with fu ll equality between women and men. Schools play a crucial role in achieving this objective by taking ownership of the gender dimension of education. Schools can beco m the catalysts for changing the patterns of gender relationships and a powerful too in reducing gender-based violence. Within this framework, the article critic ally discusses the first results of the project ‘Educare alla relazione di genere’ [Edu cation about gender relationships] promoted in the province of Trento, with a methodological emphasis of participants’ direct experience and their relati onships.
The past decades have seen significant changes in the way same-sex sexualities are regulated in E... more The past decades have seen significant changes in the way same-sex sexualities are regulated in European countries, albeit discrimination and heterosexism are still occurring on a daily basis. The research through semi-structured interviews was conducted on lesbian and gay respondents in France, Iceland, Italy and Spain, four European countries with different social contexts and legal frameworks. In a comparative perspective, it examines how laws are perceived to impact one’s relationships and one’s parental project. Discrimination is still present in the four countries at different degrees, however the existence of laws on access to marriage and parenting is regarded by many as crucial for fostering inclusion. From a social and economic point of view, the narratives evidenced that the law is not only a framework to live within: when legal support is provided, adaptation to the heteronormative structures are facilitated and welcomed by all while this lack of support makes everyday l...
The past decades have seen significant changes in the way same-sex sexualities are regulated in E... more The past decades have seen significant changes in the way same-sex sexualities are regulated in European countries, albeit discrimination and heterosexism are still occurring on a daily basis. The research through semi-structured interviews was conducted on lesbian and gay respondents in France, Iceland, Italy and Spain, four European countries with different social contexts and legal frameworks. In a comparative perspective, it examines how laws are perceived to impact one’s relationships and one’s parental project. Discrimination is still present in the four countries at different degrees, however the existence of laws on access to marriage and parenting is regarded by many as crucial for fostering inclusion. From a social and economic point of view, the narratives evidenced that the law is not only a framework to live within: when legal support is provided, adaptation to the heteronormative structures are facilitated and welcomed by all while this lack of support makes everyday l...
Within an increasingly open and composite scenario of practices and representations of paternity,... more Within an increasingly open and composite scenario of practices and representations of paternity, the article is focused on the ways couples of homosexual fathers experience their relationship with the educational services attended by their children. The contribution, based on the qualitative data of the Family Lives research, explores in particular the ways in which a men’s couple with children represents a sort of “double unexpected phenomenon” from a symbolic point of view for the professionals working in educational services and its possible consequences. On the one hand, these couples represent an unforeseen family pattern as far as concerns the parental bond between two fathers and their children, a bond that at this time in Italy does not enjoy legal recognition or a collectively shared and accepted morphology; on the other hand, the unexpected dimension refers to the disruption of a set of expectations and implicit beliefs about gender roles that shades light on the lack of ...
Introdotte dal moderatore Francesco Muollo (Dottorando in Studi di Genere - Universita degli Stud... more Introdotte dal moderatore Francesco Muollo (Dottorando in Studi di Genere - Universita degli Studi di Napoli “Federico II”) Giulia Selmi e Silvia Leonelli presentano le loro relazioni, incentrate sul rapporto tra genere e strategie educative. Giulia Selmi analizza i termini che definiscono la categoria di genere, risultato di una contrattazione tra individui e societa: le idee sottostanti alla differenza tra i generi si basano su una pratica performativa, pertanto il sistema educativo puo essere determinante, modificandole oppure confermandole e difendendole. Un‟educazione capace di offrire una pluralita di modelli identitari di genere deve investire insegnanti, genitori e giovani per decostruire gli stereotipi dominanti. Silvia Leonelli illustra caratteristiche e storia della pedagogia di genere in Italia, scandita dai suoi diversi paradigmi: la “pedagogia dell‟eguaglianza” (anni Settanta), mirante a dimostrare come esistesse uno iato tra i diritti e le prerogative dei sessi, sopra...
... dai gruppi e dalle reti che in Italia si mobilitano contro la precarietà, mostreremo come l .... more ... dai gruppi e dalle reti che in Italia si mobilitano contro la precarietà, mostreremo come l ... momento,a tematizzare esplicitamente) l'ordine simbolico di genere che fa da sfondo tanto ... sociali, proble-matizzando così le relazioni tra soggettività individuale e collettiva, lavoro e non ...
Addressing the problem of gender-based violence is a fundamental imperative to building a democra... more Addressing the problem of gender-based violence is a fundamental imperative to building a democratic society with fu ll equality between women and men. Schools play a crucial role in achieving this objective by taking ownership of the gender dimension of education. Schools can beco m the catalysts for changing the patterns of gender relationships and a powerful too in reducing gender-based violence. Within this framework, the article critic ally discusses the first results of the project ‘Educare alla relazione di genere’ [Edu cation about gender relationships] promoted in the province of Trento, with a methodological emphasis of participants’ direct experience and their relati onships.
The past decades have seen significant changes in the way same-sex sexualities are regulated in E... more The past decades have seen significant changes in the way same-sex sexualities are regulated in European countries, albeit discrimination and heterosexism are still occurring on a daily basis. The research through semi-structured interviews was conducted on lesbian and gay respondents in France, Iceland, Italy and Spain, four European countries with different social contexts and legal frameworks. In a comparative perspective, it examines how laws are perceived to impact one’s relationships and one’s parental project. Discrimination is still present in the four countries at different degrees, however the existence of laws on access to marriage and parenting is regarded by many as crucial for fostering inclusion. From a social and economic point of view, the narratives evidenced that the law is not only a framework to live within: when legal support is provided, adaptation to the heteronormative structures are facilitated and welcomed by all while this lack of support makes everyday l...
Despite the approval of the a law legally recognising same-sex relationships, and the ongoing cha... more Despite the approval of the a law legally recognising same-sex relationships, and the ongoing change of public attitudes towards Lgbt families and couples, the familial and parental projects of gay men and lesbian women keep being "unthinkable" within the Italian socio-cultural landscape, where the trope of nature is still a guiding ideal for the construction of both parental and kinship relationships. Drawing upon 29 qualitative interviews with gay men and lesbian women, we analyse how informants negotiate the persisting heteronormativity of the Italian context both in their intimate lives and in the 2 encounter with the public sphere. We discuss the tensions between a process of redefini-tion of traditional family and kinship roles, and the persisting exclusion of Lgbt families and couples from the public sphere.
In the last decade, the field of sex work and anti-trafficking in Europe has been the object of r... more In the last decade, the field of sex work and anti-trafficking in Europe has been the object of renewed attention, often presented as being about «gender equality». While feminists have been at the forefront of these debates, they appear to be increasingly divided around the «prosex work» and the «sex work as a form of violence» approaches. This article argues that by conceiving these two positions as irreconcilable, and by promoting standardised international policy solutions that fail to take into account local contexts, these current feminist engagements jeopardise alternative feminist traditions in which diverse stances on sex work coexisted, and which can be usefully studied in order to overcome some of the current impasses. Taking Italy as its case study, this article shows how between the 1980s and the 1990s feminists were able to develop a «feminist alliance» capable of supporting the emancipation of women selling sex and of migrant victims of trafficking. Drawing upon the analysis of texts, we explore the strengths and weaknesses of such an alliance, and the reasons why in a context of austerity, antimigrant sentiments, and new security approaches, it is currently at risk of disappearing, leaving the space for the new feminist polarisations.
L’articolo cerca di delineare alcune piste di riflessione mirate a fare chiarezza sul nesso gener... more L’articolo cerca di delineare alcune piste di riflessione mirate a fare chiarezza sul nesso genere-educazione a partire dalla prospettiva del diritto di bambine e bambini a crescere libere/i da stereotipi e aspettative sociali fondate sul genere. Nella prima parte viene ripercorso il dibattito pubblico che si è sviluppato negli ultimi anni attorno al tema del “gender”, e che in alcuni casi ha portato alla chiusura delle esperienze educative presenti in diverse scuole italiane al fine di promuovere l’equità di genere, richiamandone le principali argomentazioni. Nella seconda vengono discussi i meccanismi sociali che producono asimmetrie e discriminazioni in base a genere e orientamento sessuale, evidenziando il ruolo trasformativo che può essere svolto dalla scuola e dai contesti educativi per promuovere equità e valorizzazione delle differenze.
In the last decade a conservative right wing transnational movement against gender equality, LGBT... more In the last decade a conservative right wing transnational movement against gender equality, LGBT+ rights and women’s reproductive rights has emerged across Europe and worldwide (Kuhar, Paternotte 2017; Prearo 2020). Key word of this movement is the opposition to what they call ‘gender theory’ or ‘gender ideology’, an umbrella term under which they misrepresent feminist theories and gender studies as a threat to the traditional heterosexual family and to natural masculinity and femininity (Garbagnoli, Prearo 2018). Within this frame anti-gender activists have opposed many different issues like equal marriage or abortion, however schools and educational contexts have been at the forefront everywhere in Europe (Kuhar, Zobec 2017) through two key arguments: the protection of childhood (from any educational activity that might challenge the alleged natural gender order) and the supremacy of parents over schools on children and teens education (especially on identity and sexuality related issues). According to these arguments, educational projects aimed at tackling gender stereotypes and roles, at preventing male violence against women and homophobic bullying, and at promoting positive sex education have been violently targeted by anti-gender activists (Gallot, Pasquier 2018). In many cases they succeeded in interrupting ongoing activities, withdrawing books and educational material available in school libraries or obtaining parental control on teachers’ choices on gender and sexuality related subjects (Selmi 2015). Against this background teachers, educators as well as feminist and LGBT+ activists were forced to redefine their practices within schools in order to resist the anti-gender ‘sabotage’ and keep implementing activities. According to this scenario we welcome empirical as well as theoretically-oriented contributions from different disciplines and/or adopting a interdisciplinary approach, as well as activism-based papers that explore how and to what extent the anti-gender movement had an impact on educational contexts, and more precisely:
-How and to what extent anti-gender movements have changed how gender-sensitive education is implemented? (i.e. aims and scope of projects, language, family-school relationship, institutional support, fund raising, etcetera.); -Which bottom-up responses have emerged to counteract this backlash? Which strategies do educators, teachers as well as feminist/LGBT+ activists have implemented? -What kind of responses and strategies is this gender backlash producing in institutional terms? (i.e.in terms of school policies and management) -How this public conflict has influenced education policies at a national level, and the interactions between policy makers and local actors in the field of education? -How this public conflict about gender and sexuality issues has changed representations, norms or discourses on gender and sexuality-oriented programs in schools or in education policies and laws?
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however schools and educational contexts have been at the forefront everywhere in Europe (Kuhar, Zobec 2017) through two key arguments: the protection of childhood (from any educational activity that might challenge the alleged natural gender order) and the supremacy of parents over schools on children and teens education (especially on identity and sexuality related issues). According to these arguments, educational projects aimed at tackling gender stereotypes and roles, at preventing male violence against women and homophobic bullying, and at promoting positive sex education have been violently targeted by anti-gender activists (Gallot, Pasquier 2018). In many cases they succeeded in interrupting ongoing activities, withdrawing books and educational material available in
school libraries or obtaining parental control on teachers’ choices on gender and sexuality related subjects (Selmi 2015). Against this background teachers, educators as well as feminist and LGBT+ activists were forced to redefine their practices within schools in order to resist the anti-gender ‘sabotage’ and keep implementing activities.
According to this scenario we welcome empirical as well as theoretically-oriented contributions from different disciplines and/or adopting a interdisciplinary approach, as well as activism-based papers that explore how and to what extent the anti-gender movement had an impact on educational contexts, and more precisely:
-How and to what extent anti-gender movements have changed how gender-sensitive education is implemented? (i.e. aims and scope of projects, language, family-school relationship, institutional support, fund raising, etcetera.);
-Which bottom-up responses have emerged to counteract this backlash? Which strategies do educators, teachers as well as feminist/LGBT+ activists have implemented?
-What kind of responses and strategies is this gender backlash producing in institutional terms? (i.e.in terms of school policies and management)
-How this public conflict has influenced education policies at a national level, and the interactions between policy makers and local actors in the field of education?
-How this public conflict about gender and sexuality issues has changed representations, norms or discourses on gender and sexuality-oriented programs in schools or in education policies and laws?