Socially Including a \u27Resistant People\u27: Intercultural Education and the Roma in Italy

As the situation of the Roma in Europe has grown increasingly concerning, the European Union (EU) has urged Member States to promote the social inclusion of this diverse population. While the EU has challenged Member States to implement intercultural education, Italy has claimed its own via Italiana (or Italian way ) as to how it is going about this process. In an attempt to better understand intercultural education and the role of education in social inclusion projects, this paper aims to address the following questions: What are some of the implications of the intercultural educational initiative currently underway in Italy with regard to the Roma, and how do they interact with other factors, such as housing conditions? More generally, what are some of the promises as well as some of the shortcomings of intercultural education for fostering a peaceful coexistence and a semblance of shared understanding in a diverse society? By reviewing the circumstances of the Roma, and considering the contributions of the INSETRom project and the Community of Sant\u27Egidio, the author reflects on the implications of intercultural education and the potential ways in which this educational paradigm facilitates identity-formation