in Italian: Stepmother languages. The lie of bilingualism in South Tyrol

Event in collaboration with Alphabeta. Free entry.
South Tyrol is said to be a bilingual region. However, behind this apparent truth lie uncertainties and mental barriers that paint a very different picture. The question posed by a South Tyrolean – ‘Why should I learn the language of the other?’ – not only remains unanswered, but is no longer even asked. Is this merely sluggish indifference or a deeper symptom that reveals the weaknesses of a model of coexistence that has never been fully realised? In a perfect synthesis of essay and journalistic reportage, Gabriele Di Luca deconstructs the myth of bilingualism using ‘scenes’ from everyday life: the official bilingualism exam (the notorious ‘driving licence’), public administration, school, hospital, bar, provincial parliament, newspapers, the internet, social media. The result is a faithful, ironic and provocative portrait of Italy's northernmost province, which Italians still only know as a tourist destination.

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