From the diversity-difference dialectic to the signification and representation of Alterity

Abstract

The paper examines the dialectic diversity-difference as a tool of signification and representation of alterity looking for, primarily, to reconstruct the etymological origins and the semantic fields of terms that identify this dialectic. In the current language, often, these two terms tend to get confused, while in disciplinary languages they have specific meanings (differens entitas, deviance etc.).
Specifically, the paper, highlighting the links between language, social representations and actions, proposes a pedagogical reflection on the role that such terms play to describe and to mean, according to inclusive perspective, the ample field of alterity within the educational field.