For a Critical Review of Educational Experiences between Cultural Sharing and Affirmation of Identity Values

Abstract

The presence, in Italian universities, of students coming from different geographical and cultural areas calls for a deep change in the educational activities connected with restoration. Discussion has extended to different cultures and contexts and this could reaffirm the central role of restoration thanks to a different teaching approach, which includes not only larger geographical areas but also different ideological, anthropological and social realities. This could widen the globally shared theoretical knowledge in the fields of preservation and restoration and attract more attention towards cultural peculiarities, which have been so far neglected. An informed and multidisciplinary discussion would open up to new “visions” and question the Eurocentric attitude of restoration theories and methodologies. Scope of this research is therefore to establish whether it is right, in view of an innovative teaching approach, to find common principles and shared guidelines or whether the cultural identity of each country/university should prevail or, as a third option, whether it is necessary to find a third “in-between” approach and on what basis. Therefore, in an age of cultural globalization and IT revolution, a work-in-progress approach is desirable. This approach would allow to go beyond the traditional teaching topics and promote a form of university education developed via electronic networks rather than specific places.