Consumption, history and education in Italy

The field of research that regards the history of consumption has by now gained considerable importance worldwide, and it has achieved stable affirmation in Italy as well. The multiplicity of studies published in Italy over the last decade and the numerous opportunities for academic discussion confirm a lively and mature historiography of consumption in our country. The theme of consumption has, in short, become an unavoidable topic around which historians must flock: little by little, it has also contaminated general historical investigations and those of other specific subjects (i.e. gender, media, youth, family, culture, society, etc.). In education, however, the history of consumption has only recently begun to find a place due to delays in pedagogy’s observation of the phenomenon and peculiarities of the history of historical-educational studies, which in the past paid little attention to informal and non-formal education while focusing instead on theories, schools, and other educational institutions. This brief contribution attempts to offer a synthesis of the encounter and intertwining of research lines on consumption and historical-educational studies.