Children in Advertisements and Educational Change. The Turn in the Representation of Childhood in Post-war Italy

The visual turn has drawn considerable attention to all kinds of images and objects as valid sources of historical research in educational contexts, both within schools and beyond (Depaepe & Henkens, 2000; Dussel, 2019; Pozo Andrès & Braster, 2020). Although many visual materials such as photographs, paintings, and illustrations have already been extensively considered, advertisements aimed at children continue to be largely overlooked (Mattioni, 2017). Despite this general lack of attention, analysing advertisements allows us to understand the representations of childhood that were most widely accepted during a specific historical period and the kind of educational messages that were mostly transmitted at that time. In fact, they can be considered a mirror of a specific cultural context, providing us with information about the most popular educational objects, toys, products and books, and, more generally, the vision that society had for children. In addition, advertisements addressed to children can provide us with interesting information about educational issues, especially in view of how widespread advertisements were in popular culture in Europe during the 20th century. After World War II., Italy was characterized by increases in industrialisation, mass education and strong economic growth, with the consequence that industry started producing products specifically for children (Meda, 2016). Moreover, educational reforms, especially with the introduction of the Scuola media unica (unified/single middle school) in 1962, the rise of new pedagogical movements, such as the “Movimento di Cooperazione Educativa”, and the experience of Don Milani’s Barbiana school, fundamentally changed ideas about childhood and its role in society (Sani & Pazzaglia, 2001). The aim of this essay is to investigate the change in the representation of childhood in post-war Italy through an analysis of advertisements that appeared in two of the most widely-read magazines for children between 1950 and 1980: “Il Corriere dei Piccoli” and “Il Giornalino”. Adopting the method of “longue durée” in historical research, the paper aims to underline the turning point that occurred between the 1970s and 1980s as consequence of the radical change in society’s consideration of children. These years, in fact, were also influenced by the new ideas brought about by the great social upheavals that characterized all Western society. The new concepts about education influenced not only schools and other educational spaces but also mass media addressed to children, such as advertisements, which contributed to the creation of a new imagery related to childhood. In view of this, the focus will rest on two specific issues: representations of gender differences, and the imagery of school and scholastic objects. Finally, since advertising is not neutral, I will consider the ideological differences between a Catholic magazine (“Il Giornalino”) and a secular magazine (“Il Corriere dei Piccoli”).