Inside and beyond the textbook. Analysis and proposals for the teaching of gender history

Abstract

The textbook remains a fundamental tool in schoolwork. In Italy they reflect the contradictory data that look after the debate on gender studies, between misunderstanding and politically correct narration. Some innovations are considered as necessary and the publishers give rhapsodic answers, fearing however that their books are too different from the school rule. Starting from the study of some recent textbooks, this essay analyzes the problems of the examination of the gender history in the twentieth century, and so it shows some proposals and didactic tools from the Società Italiana delle Storiche. Due to the small size of sample, this survey does not allow conclusions, but contribute to the debate.