I sistemi educativi nel sud del mondo. Mediterraneo e Medio Oriente [Book review]

Abstract

Handling this skinny book, I am reminded of the book review section of a cultural journal that has been quite influential in Italy during the sixties and seventies, Quade mi Piacentini. It carried the headline Da /egg ere; da non leggere (To be read, to be avoided). If the title raises expectations: Educational Systems in the South of the World, perplexities begin to develop when looking at the size (180 pages, just slightly bigger than those of this journal). Here comes the second line of the title to limit the scope to Mediterranean and the Middle East. Going through the introduction, we learn that the current volume is one of a series that will later cover: "Africa, Asia, Central and Southern Americas, Australia and Oceania". Let me remark that "South of the World" is first of all a geographical notion. As such it can only refer to the Southern hemisphere. Not a single country located South of the Equator is examined here. The title is therefore inappropriate.