Il “giusto” colore della pelle: diversità somatiche e culturali nei sussidiari della scuola primaria

This paper summarizes the results of an exploratory study on the representation of ethnic and cultural diversity in the depiction of children and adults in primary school textbooks, published between 2003 and 2020. The purpose of the study is to appraise the way in which such images are presented and the contents that are attached to them. Research was conducted by means of quantitative analysis (a numerical count of images of different ethnicities) and qualitative analysis based on visual semiotics and intercultural pedagogy, with particular reference to the implicit messages and stereotypes carried by the images analysed. The research focuses in particular on Civic education texts, where the vast majority of depictions of non-Caucasian adults and children were found, especially in content about migrations, human rights, and cultural diversity.