“Docility, modesty, sacrifice and self-denial”. Teacher training and career in the Kingdom of Italy, between european pedagogical models and the compromises of female knowledge

Abstract

In the “long” European nineteenth century, mass literacy was crucial for the affirmation of modern states. Teachers were recognized as public officials and agents of modernization, and the exchange of educational theories and practices at a continental level created a pedagogical “spirit of the era” that influenced teacher training. This study analyzes the evolution of teacher training in Italy between the 19th and 20th centuries and its progressive alignment with the european trend, assimilating and reinterpreting avant-garde pedagogical models for the construction of a modern teaching profession. The research focuses on the spread of normal schools, the progressive feminization of the profession, and the influence of european pedagogical positivism on curricula and teaching methods (e.g., the adoption of the objective method, the inclusion of kindergartens, the importance of teaching practice, etc.).