Food Narrations and Teaching Migration: An Autobiographical Approach to “Knowing the Other”

Abstract

Is the clash of civilizations, or that of racism, the paradigm that best describes the intercultural dynamics that characterize the cultural horizon of young people today? This article addresses this question based on research conducted between 2012 and 2016 in four secondary schools in Piedmont by researchers at the University of Gastronomic Sciences. The research looked at adolescents and dealt with the topic of “knowing the Other” through the collection and patrimonialization of life stories about food. The results illustrate an educational model that stimulates young people to extend their knowledge of cultural diversity and overcome the considerable indifference towards discovery of “the Other” that appears to characterize most young people today.