Sociology of Intercultural Relations
A.Y. 2019/2020
Learning objectives
The course aims to address the issue of intercultural relations from a sociological point of view. In contexts increasingly marked by difference, multiculturalism and globalization we need to learn the key elements that may facilitate or hinder intercultural relations, both in formal and institutional, as in informal settings.
Expected learning outcomes
The course provides students with theoretical and practical tools to read and interpret the places of work and social life, based on a non essentialist vision of culture and to be able to undertake autonomously further study and action in these areas.
Lesson period: Second semester
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course cannot be attended as a single course. Please check our list of single courses to find the ones available for enrolment.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Lesson period
Second semester
Course syllabus
Globalization processes, international migration and the challenges of nationalisms, racisms and xenophobia makes particularly important acquiring the capacity to read the complexity of contemporary intercultural relationships. Aim of the course is to provide the theoretical and methodological tools to understand the social, cultural and institutional dynamics shaping intercultural relationships in various context. Attention will be devoted, in particular, on practices and relationships taking place in the everyday life.
Starting from the definition of some key concepts such as those of culture, cultural difference, membership, ethnicity, race and racism, the course aim at providing practical and conceptual competences to overcome an essentialist vision of culture.
The first part of the course will introduce the theme of intercultural relationships in general terms by showing ho the symbolic construction of the Other is always conditioned by power dynamics which contribute to (re)produce inequalities, together with social class and gender. The theme of racism will be analysed on the basis of post-colonial reflections and interrogating the role of media and of the political use of 'cultural difference'.
The second part of the course will use concepts and theories explored previously to examine the way through which intercultural relationships take place within educational contexts. Intersectionality perspective will be used to examine they way through which ethnicity and race intersect class and gender lines of social divisions to shape students school and university experiences; research on intercultural relationships in the school context will be analysed; a reflection on institutional settings will be developed; and an analysis of the socio-emotional aspects of racialization within educational context will be explored.
In this part of the course students will be called to develop team works and a flipped classed didactic model will be used together with traditional frontal lessons.
The main themes of the first part will be the following:
1. introduction to the sociology of intercultural relationships: basic concepts
2. National identity, ethnic identity and imagined communities
3. globalization and cultural processes
4. cosmopolitanism and transnationalism
5. racism
6. the role of the media in the tautology of fear
7. meanings of multiculturalism
8. Intersectionality perspective
Main themes of the second part:
1. Introduction to social research methods
2. Culture, power and educational system
3. Inequalities in education
4. Research on school segregation
5. Bourdieu and the concepts of cultural capital, habitus, and field
6. Intercultural relationships at school and at university
7. Family-school relationships
8. The school and university experiences through the lens of Bourdieu and of the Intersectionality perspective
Starting from the definition of some key concepts such as those of culture, cultural difference, membership, ethnicity, race and racism, the course aim at providing practical and conceptual competences to overcome an essentialist vision of culture.
The first part of the course will introduce the theme of intercultural relationships in general terms by showing ho the symbolic construction of the Other is always conditioned by power dynamics which contribute to (re)produce inequalities, together with social class and gender. The theme of racism will be analysed on the basis of post-colonial reflections and interrogating the role of media and of the political use of 'cultural difference'.
The second part of the course will use concepts and theories explored previously to examine the way through which intercultural relationships take place within educational contexts. Intersectionality perspective will be used to examine they way through which ethnicity and race intersect class and gender lines of social divisions to shape students school and university experiences; research on intercultural relationships in the school context will be analysed; a reflection on institutional settings will be developed; and an analysis of the socio-emotional aspects of racialization within educational context will be explored.
In this part of the course students will be called to develop team works and a flipped classed didactic model will be used together with traditional frontal lessons.
The main themes of the first part will be the following:
1. introduction to the sociology of intercultural relationships: basic concepts
2. National identity, ethnic identity and imagined communities
3. globalization and cultural processes
4. cosmopolitanism and transnationalism
5. racism
6. the role of the media in the tautology of fear
7. meanings of multiculturalism
8. Intersectionality perspective
Main themes of the second part:
1. Introduction to social research methods
2. Culture, power and educational system
3. Inequalities in education
4. Research on school segregation
5. Bourdieu and the concepts of cultural capital, habitus, and field
6. Intercultural relationships at school and at university
7. Family-school relationships
8. The school and university experiences through the lens of Bourdieu and of the Intersectionality perspective
Prerequisites for admission
No prerequisites .
Teaching methods
Frontal lessons, team work, research exercises.
Teaching Resources
References (First part):
- Camozzi I., Sociologia delle relazioni interculturali, Il Mulino, 2019.
- Colombo E. e Semi G., Multiculturalismo quotidiano. Le pratiche della differenza, Franco Angeli, 2011. (cap. 1, 2, 5)
- Taguieff P-A., Il razzismo. Pregiudizi, teorie, comportamenti, Raffaello Cortina Editore, Milano, 1999.
One essay among the following:
- Dal Lago A., Non-Persone. L'esclusione dei migranti in una società globale, Feltrinelli, 2009, (solo cap. 2)
- Enzo Colombo, Paola Rebughini, Intersectionality and beyond, in "Rassegna Italiana di Sociologia" 3/2016, pp. 439-460.
- Sara R. Farris Il femonazionalismo. Il razzismo nel nome delle donne, Alegre, 2019 (Introduzione e cap. 3)
- Carbone, Gargiulo, Russo Spena, I confini dell'inclusione. La civic integration tra selezione e disciplinamento dei corpi migranti, Derive Approdi, Roma (solo cap. 2 e 6).
- Frantz Fanon, Razzismo e Cultura, in Scritti Politici. Per la rivoluzione Africana, Derive Approdi, Roma, 2006
- Frantz Fanon Pelle nera, maschere bianche, Edizioni ETS, 2015.
References (Second part):
Two essays among the following chosen in agreement with the teacher:
- Bourdieu, P. (1986) The forms of capital. In J. Richardson (Ed.) Handbook of Theory and Research for the Sociology of Education (New York, Greenwood), 241-258.
- Vaccarelli A., Studiare in Italia. Intercultura e inclusione all'università, Franco Angeli, 2005 (solo cap. 11, 12, 13, 14)
- Serpieri R., Grimaldi E., Che razza di scuola. Praticare l'educazione interculturale, Franco Angeli, 2013 (cap. 1 e 4)
- Maria Perino, «Da dove vieni? Quanto contano le categorie etnonazionali?», Quaderni di Sociologia, 63 | 2013, 63-83.
- Azzolini D., Mantovani D., Santagati M., Italy: four emerging traditions in immigrant education studies, 2019
- Romito M., I consigli orientativi agli studenti di origine straniera. Un caso a parte?, Rassegna Italiana di Sociologia, 2016
- Romito M. Una scuola di classe. Orientamento e disuguaglianza nelle transizioni scolastiche, Guerini, Milano, 2016 (solo cap. 1, 2 e 3)
- Bertozzi R., Studenti di origine immigrata che accedono all'università. Il ruolo del background migratorio e delle scelte scolastiche, in "Scuola democratica, Learning for Democracy" 1/2018, pp. 5-22.
- Giliberti G., Processi di razzializzazione ed esclusione educativa. La gioventù dominicana nella scuola spagnola, in "Etnografia e ricerca qualitativa, Rivista quadrimestrale" 2/2018, pp. 277-296,
- Camozzi I., Sociologia delle relazioni interculturali, Il Mulino, 2019.
- Colombo E. e Semi G., Multiculturalismo quotidiano. Le pratiche della differenza, Franco Angeli, 2011. (cap. 1, 2, 5)
- Taguieff P-A., Il razzismo. Pregiudizi, teorie, comportamenti, Raffaello Cortina Editore, Milano, 1999.
One essay among the following:
- Dal Lago A., Non-Persone. L'esclusione dei migranti in una società globale, Feltrinelli, 2009, (solo cap. 2)
- Enzo Colombo, Paola Rebughini, Intersectionality and beyond, in "Rassegna Italiana di Sociologia" 3/2016, pp. 439-460.
- Sara R. Farris Il femonazionalismo. Il razzismo nel nome delle donne, Alegre, 2019 (Introduzione e cap. 3)
- Carbone, Gargiulo, Russo Spena, I confini dell'inclusione. La civic integration tra selezione e disciplinamento dei corpi migranti, Derive Approdi, Roma (solo cap. 2 e 6).
- Frantz Fanon, Razzismo e Cultura, in Scritti Politici. Per la rivoluzione Africana, Derive Approdi, Roma, 2006
- Frantz Fanon Pelle nera, maschere bianche, Edizioni ETS, 2015.
References (Second part):
Two essays among the following chosen in agreement with the teacher:
- Bourdieu, P. (1986) The forms of capital. In J. Richardson (Ed.) Handbook of Theory and Research for the Sociology of Education (New York, Greenwood), 241-258.
- Vaccarelli A., Studiare in Italia. Intercultura e inclusione all'università, Franco Angeli, 2005 (solo cap. 11, 12, 13, 14)
- Serpieri R., Grimaldi E., Che razza di scuola. Praticare l'educazione interculturale, Franco Angeli, 2013 (cap. 1 e 4)
- Maria Perino, «Da dove vieni? Quanto contano le categorie etnonazionali?», Quaderni di Sociologia, 63 | 2013, 63-83.
- Azzolini D., Mantovani D., Santagati M., Italy: four emerging traditions in immigrant education studies, 2019
- Romito M., I consigli orientativi agli studenti di origine straniera. Un caso a parte?, Rassegna Italiana di Sociologia, 2016
- Romito M. Una scuola di classe. Orientamento e disuguaglianza nelle transizioni scolastiche, Guerini, Milano, 2016 (solo cap. 1, 2 e 3)
- Bertozzi R., Studenti di origine immigrata che accedono all'università. Il ruolo del background migratorio e delle scelte scolastiche, in "Scuola democratica, Learning for Democracy" 1/2018, pp. 5-22.
- Giliberti G., Processi di razzializzazione ed esclusione educativa. La gioventù dominicana nella scuola spagnola, in "Etnografia e ricerca qualitativa, Rivista quadrimestrale" 2/2018, pp. 277-296,
Assessment methods and Criteria
Learning verification is based on a) teamworks b) individual thesis (max 4 pages) c) intermediate exam; d) oral exam; e) active participation to lessons is also taken into consideration
For those that could not participate to the teamworks, to attend at least 85% of the lessons and to carry out the individual thesis, it would be possible to do the intermediate examination and an oral examination at the end of the course.
For those that could not participate to the teamworks, to attend at least 85% of the lessons and to carry out the individual thesis, it would be possible to do the intermediate examination and an oral examination at the end of the course.
Teaching Unit 1
SPS/08 - SOCIOLOGY OF CULTURE AND COMMUNICATION - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Teaching Unit 2
SPS/08 - SOCIOLOGY OF CULTURE AND COMMUNICATION - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Teaching Unit 3
SPS/08 - SOCIOLOGY OF CULTURE AND COMMUNICATION - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours