Il rapporto educazione-coesione sociale e la sua trasformazione nelle società multiculturali

The article analyses the relationship between education and social cohesion, focusing on the transformations which result from the increasing presence of foreign people in Italian educational institutions. What is the meaning of social cohesion? What is the relationship between education and social cohesion? What kind of repercussions does an increasingly multicultural population have on such relationship? Starting from these questions, the present article will discuss topics derived from sociological theory and research. In particular, empirical evidence will allow to describe and explain those processes through which Italian and foreign students approach the issue of social cohesion, considering multicultural classrooms as a privileged observatory where to experience cultural diversity and where new generations build a set of shared concepts and values which influence the level of cohesion of the future society.