People, the Poor and Meritocratic School

Abstract

The contribution offers an original interpretation of Don Milani's thoughts on education, highlighting the Christian roots and the radicalism of his idea of popular education. The aim is to better understand his critique of the Italian school system, which differs from what today's mainstream claims. Instead, it represents a total repudiation of a specific idea of education deeply rooted in Italian culture and even shared by those who hailed the Prior of Barbiana as the champion of democratic education.