Sport and linguistic separation in South Tyrol: a pedagogical challange for integration
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.2420-8175/22564Keywords:
bilingualism, linguistic segregation, sport, cultural integrationAbstract
The school system in South Tyrol has historically been characterised by a separation between Italian, German, and Ladin schools, reflecting the region’s linguistic and identity-related tensions. This division affects not only social cohesion but also the effectiveness of second language acquisition, which is hindered by the lack of authentic interaction among the different linguistic groups. This paper aims to examine how such a structure represents a barrier to cultural integration, proposing sport as a potential means of inclusion and a tool to overcome segregation. Drawing on a qualitative study based on interviews with key informants, the article highlights the potential of sport as an intercultural space capable of fostering contact, cooperation, and a shared sense of belonging. The contribution lies within the pedagogical debate on intercultural education, offering insights for promoting inclusive encounters and shared citizenship in a multilingual context.
References
Alber E. (2012), South Tyrol’s education system: Plurilingual answers for monolinguistic spheres?. In «L’Europe en Formation», Vol. 363, n. 1, pp. 399-415.
Allport G.W. (1954), The Nature of Prejudice, Cambridge MA, Addison-Wesley.
Bandini A. (2013), Multilinguismo e multiculturalità: Competenze chiave per una cittadinanza europea. In G. Trupiano (a cura di), Cives, cittadini italiani verso l’Europa, Pisa, La Scuola di Pitagora Editrice, pp. 153-164.
Baur S. e Medda Windischer R. (2008), The education system in South Tyrol. In J. Woelk, F. Palermo e J. Marko (a cura di), Tolerance through law: Self-governance and group rights in South Tyrol, Boston, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, pp. 235-258. https://doi.org/10.1163/ej.9789004163027.i-422.64.
Belvisi F. (2012), I diritti fondamentali nella società multiculturale. In «Diritto e società», Vol. 1, pp. 1-18.
Biesta G. (2020), Educational Research: An Unorthodox Introduction, London, Bloomsbury Academic.
Blasbichler A. (2018), L’italianizzazione e la fascistizzazione dei nuovi territori statali a sud del neonato confine del Brennero dopo il 1918: La scuola stretta nella morsa nazionalistica. In «Quaderni di Intercultura», Vol. 10, pp. 144-154.
Bortoletto M. e Morrone A. (2016), Sociologia dello sport, Roma, Carocci.
Bourdieu P. (1978), Sport and Social Class. In «Social Science Information», Vol. 17, n. 6, pp. 819-840. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/053901847801700603.
Boyatzis R.E. (1998), Transforming Qualitative Information: Thematic Analysis and Code Development, London, Sage Publications.
Carter-Thuillier B., López-Pastor V., Gallardo-Fuentes F., Carter-Beltrán J., Fernández-Balboa J. M., Delgado-Floody P., Grimminger-Seidensticker E. e Sortwell A. (2023), After-school sports programmes and social inclusion processes in culturally diverse contexts: Results of an international multicase study. In «Frontiers in Psychology», Vol. 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1122362.
Caruso M.G., Cerbara L., Menniti A., Misiti M. e Tintori A. (2018), Sport e integrazione sociale. Indagine nelle scuole secondarie di secondo grado in Italia. In «IRPPS Working Papers», pp. 1-83.
Ciccolone S. (2021), Comunità bilingui e lingue in contatto. Uno studio sul parlato bilingue in Alto Adige, Cagliari, IRIS Unica.
Corbetta P. (2003), Metodologia e tecniche della ricerca sociale, Bologna, Il Mulino.
Dal Negro S. (2017), Bilinguismo asimmetrico in Alto Adige: Lo spazio sociolinguistico dell’italiano. In R. Bombi (a cura di), Nuovi spazi comunicativi per l’italiano nel mondo, Udine, Forum Editrice Universitaria Udinese, pp. 59-67.
De Mauro T. (1980), Guida all’uso delle parole, Bari, Laterza.
Edwards A. (2017), Working relationally in and across practices: A cultural-historical approach to collaboration, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
Elias N. (1982), Il processo di civilizzazione, Bologna, Il Mulino.
Gasparri G. (1929), I problemi e i fatti dell’Alto Adige. In «Archivio per l’Alto Adige», Vol. XXIV, pp. 53-115.
Gass S.M. e Selinker L. (2001), Second language acquisition: an introductory course, 2a, Mahwah, New Jersey, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publischers.
Gori E. (2016), Trends in linguistic, scholastic and educational policies in Trentino and Alto Adige (1919–1939). In «Acta Scientiarum Education», Vol. 38, n. 1, pp. 1-9. https://doi.org/10.4025/actascieduc.v38i1.26421.
Guarda M. (2025), Fostering Educational Change at the Intersection of Macro-Level Institutional Narratives and Micro-Level Classroom Experiences. In «Education Sciences», Vol. 15, n. 4, 472. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15040472
Kumar S. (2023), Sport and intercultural education: Practices and policies, London, Routledge.
Kvale S. e Brinkmann S. (2009), InterViews: Learning the craft of qualitative research interviewing, 2a, Thousand Oaks, California, Sage.
Lightbrown P. e Spada N. (1999), How languages are learned, Oxford, Oxford University Press.
Manzi C. e Gozzoli A. (2009), Sport: Prospettive psicosociali, Roma, Carocci.
Masillo P., Gelo A., Nasimi A. e Peri G. (2021), L’italiano nelle scuole di lingua tedesca: un progetto per la rilevazione delle competenze linguistiche degli studenti nella Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano. In M. Favilla e S. Machetti (a cura di), Lingue in contatto e linguistica applicata: individui e società. In «Studi AltLA», Vol. 13, pp. 215-238.
Medda Windischer R. e Carlà A. (2014), Migrazione e convivenza in Alto Adige: Raccomandazioni per una cittadinanza civica in provincia di Bolzano, Bolzano, Eurac Research.
Middleton T.R.F., Petersen B., Schinke R.J., Kao S.F. e Giffin, C. (2020), Community sport and physical activity programs as sites of integration: A meta-synthesis of qualitative research conducted with forced migrants. In «Psychology of Sport and Exercise», Vol. 51, n. 3, 101769. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2020.101769 .
Milani M., Righetti P. e Mazzoni D. (2011), La ricerca qualitativa nelle scienze umane e sociali, Roma, Carocci.
Paladino M.P., Poddesu L., Rauzi M., Vaes J.A., Cadinu M. e Forer D. (2009), Second language competence in the Italian-speaking population of Alto Adige/Südtirol: Evidence for linguistic stereotype threat. In «Journal of Language and Social Psychology», Vol. 28, n. 3, pp. 222-243. https://doi.org/10.1177/0261927X09335333.
Trinchero R. (2004), La ricerca educativa. Metodologia e strumenti per indagare la complessità dell’intervento formativo, Milano, FrancoAngeli.
Turner J.C., Hogg M.A., Oakes P.J., Reicher S.D. e Wetherell M.S. (1987), Rediscovering the social group: A self-categorization theory, Oxford, United Kingdom, Basil Blackwell.
Vedovelli M. (2011), Storia linguistica dell’emigrazione italiana nel mondo, Roma, Carocci.
Vettori C. (2016), The long way to bilingualism: The peculiar case of multilingual South Tyrol. In «International Journal for 21st Century Education», Vol. 32, pp. 25-33. https://doi.org/10.21071/ij21ce.v3i2.5852.
Vettori C. e Abel A. (2021), La scuola come unico contesto di apprendimento della seconda lingua? Il caso dell’Alto Adige. In M. Favilla e S. Machetti (a cura di), Lingue in contatto e linguistica applicata: individui e società. In «Studi AltLA», Vol. 13, pp. 239-254.
Vettori C., Colombo S. e Abel A. (2021), Multilingualism in South Tyrol: Between old fears and new challenges. In «Zeitschrift für Interkulturellen Fremdsprachenunterricht», Vol. 26, n. 2, pp. 223-249.
Vouzoulias K., Koufioti G., Kounios A. e Vlachadi M. (2023), The inclusion of sports educational activities in a multicultural educational context: A systematic review of the literature. In «International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science», Vol. 7, n. 4, pp. 298-311. https://doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2023.7423.
Wand A. (2016), ‘Separate but equal’, segregated or stymied? Second language learning issues in South Tyrol. In «Journal of the Anthropological Society of Oxford Online», Vol. 8, n. 3, pp. 330-347.
Zhou Q. (2023), The Development and Evolution of the Olympic Games from the Perspective of Sports History. In «Lecture Notes on History», Vol. 5, pp. 70-75. http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/history.2023.050110.
Zoletto D. (2012), Dall’intercultura ai contesti eterogenei, Milano, Franco Angeli.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Morena Cuconato, Maila Leoni, Leonardo Riello
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
