Female childhood in history: a note on the studies of Egle Becchi

Abstract

Egle Becchi’s studies of female childhood across different centuries and contexts offer insights into some crucial issues regarding the elusive profile of young girls – both in their present being and in their becoming adults. This essay seeks to reflect on young girls in history and the history of female education. Egle Becchi has provided significant contributions to these relatively recent research perspectives within the historiography of childhood, a field that finds an important point of reference in the pioneering
work of Philippe Ariès, despite being at the center of lively debate. At the same time, within Egle Becchi’s research path, the study of young girls in history – in the unfolding of educational practices (between explicit and latent aspects) and in the change of formative theories and proposals – constitutes a useful theme for focusing on specific aspects of her peculiar pedagogical analysis from a diachronic perspective.