Irene Papa, Education between authority and freedom. “This is England”: an example of education “at risk”.

The movie “This is England”, made by Shane Meadows in 2006, proposes a representation of Thatcher’s society in the Eighties, and it pays special attention to the life of young skinheads in the Midlands. Besides offering a historical testimony, this movie can be considered a good tool of pedagogical reflection to investigate how the dialectic between authority and freedom can take form in the educational experience. In particular, by means of Frankfurt School’s studies, this essay focuses the attention on some current issues concerning the formation of authoritarian personality, and the diffusion of phenomena such as racism and aggressive nationalism.

Published on: Closeness and distance N. 27 New Series – Year XIV 2018