Between lights and shadows: European childhood in the Twentieth century

The title of the book edited by professors Gecchele, Polenghi and Dal Toso contains a provocative question which points out the main volume’s objective, that is to explore from several points of view the idea of childhood developed in the Europe of the Twentieth century. Is it still possible to define the 1900s as the century of the child, as the famous Swedish pedagogist Ellen Key did with optimism? Trying to give an answer to this question, the authors of the contributions, Italian and foreign scholars, outline an analysis of the last century with an historical and educational perspective.