Conference Program

This abstract seeks to explore the persistence of fascism in the Pasolinian sense, understood as a pervasive and totalizing phenomenon that continues to permeate contemporary society (Pasolini, 2015). From this perspective, fascism cannot be confined to its historical manifestation in the twentieth century; rather, it survives as a diffuse cultural form operating within languages, social practices, and symbolic structures of late modernity. In this context, particular attention is devoted to the metaphor of the “fireflies,” introduced by Pasolini as an emblem of a resilient and sensitive humanity capable of preserving forms of resistance in the face of the progressive erosion of identities and the growing cultural homogenization that characterize contemporary societies.

This symbolic image is intertwined with a broader ecological and political urgency: the need to safeguard humanity’s material and immaterial heritage and traditions. Such heritage should be understood not merely as a repository of the past, but as a living resource for the construction of the future. From this perspective, the protection of cultural heritage emerges as a crucial safeguard for the demilitarization of the world, of language, and of individual life, in accordance with the founding principles promoted by international organizations devoted to cultural cooperation (UNESCO, 1946).

Within this framework, the sciences of education and training assume a central and strategic role. They represent a privileged domain through which critical, imaginative, and relational capacities can be cultivated among new generations. Education cannot therefore be reduced to the mere transmission of knowledge; rather, it contributes to the formation of reflective and responsible subjectivities capable of interpreting the complexities of the present and envisioning alternative futures. In this sense, educational sciences constitute a key field for the development of democratic awareness and for the promotion of pedagogical practices oriented toward ethical responsibility and civic engagement.

Didi-Huberman (2010), reinterpreting Benjamin’s thought (2014) and critically engaging with Pasolini’s reflections, identifies in the fragile yet persistent light of images a concrete possibility for connecting the “Already-been” and the “Now.” This temporal relation restores historical depth to the present and enables the future to be infused with genuine political agency. Images, much like the metaphorical fireflies, persist despite the overwhelming glare of technological and media overexposure, opening spaces for symbolic resistance and critical reflection.

Marchetti (2022) further develops this perspective by emphasizing the distinctive role of oral tradition in human civilization. Narration, orality, and oraliture represent fundamental roots of human evolution, linking contemporary societies—marked by a crisis of narration—to early symbolic expressions such as the cave paintings of Chauvet. Within this perspective, educational sciences are called upon to preserve and renew the narrative dimension of human experience, recognizing storytelling as a fundamental pedagogical device for identity construction and cultural transmission.