{"id":246,"date":"2026-04-07T19:44:05","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T19:44:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.echo4inclusion.eu\/post-2\/"},"modified":"2026-10-08T08:16:39","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T08:16:39","slug":"breaking-the-us-vs-them-paradigm-theatre-as-a-sociological-tool-for-intercultural-cohesion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.echo4inclusion.eu\/it\/breaking-the-us-vs-them-paradigm-theatre-as-a-sociological-tool-for-intercultural-cohesion\/","title":{"rendered":"Sfruttando il paradigma \u201cnoi contro loro\u201d: il teatro come strumento sociologico per la coesione interculturale"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Sfruttando il paradigma \u201cnoi contro loro\u201d: il teatro come strumento sociologico per la coesione interculturale<\/b><\/h4>\n

Introduzione<\/b> Contemporary European societies are increasingly characterized by “super-diversity,” yet simple multicultural coexistence does not automatically lead to social integration. Often, local communities and young people with migratory backgrounds live in parallel spheres, fueling invisible barriers and mutual prejudices. Within the ECHO project, Work Package 2 (Theatre of Inclusion) serves as a direct sociological intervention. It utilizes theatrical practice not merely as an artistic expression, but as a pedagogical device to deconstruct social divisions and promote genuine intercultural cohesion through shared action.<\/span><\/p>\n

Social Identity Theory and In-Group\/Out-Group Dynamics<\/b> To understand the impact of participatory theatre, it is essential to consider the Social Identity Theory formulated by Tajfel and Turner (1979). According to this framework, individuals naturally categorize the world into “us” (in-group) and “them” (out-group), favoring their own group while developing prejudices toward the “other.” For young migrants, daily life is frequently marked by being perceived as part of an out-group.<\/span><\/p>\n

The ECHO theatre workshop intervenes by dismantling these pre-existing categories. When young migrants and local community members meet in a scenic space, external social labels are momentarily suspended. Through ensemble exercises, improvisation, and physical problem-solving, participants must collaborate toward a common goal. This process creates a new, inclusive, and temporary collective identity: the theatre group. Within this shared identity, prejudice loses its defensive function, making room for mutual trust.<\/span><\/p>\n

From Multiculturalism to Interculturalism through Action<\/b> While multicultural paradigms often limit themselves to recognizing and tolerating diversity, interculturalism (Cantle, 2012) requires active interaction and exchange. Theatre is inherently intercultural because it demands the meeting of bodies and narratives.<\/span><\/p>\n

Applying the principles of Contact Theory (Allport, 1954), ECHO\u2019s WP2 creates the optimal conditions to reduce intergroup prejudice: participants hold equal status within the rehearsal room, collaborate on common goals (creating a scene or performance), and operate in an environment supported by the authority of facilitators (the “Safe Space”). The theatrical language, which is often non-verbal, allows participants to bypass linguistic misunderstandings, transforming diversity from an obstacle into a creative resource.<\/span><\/p>\n

Conclusione<\/b> Participatory theatre proves to be much more than a recreational activity; it is a micro-society where new forms of coexistence are practiced. The ECHO project demonstrates that breaking the “us vs. them” paradigm requires more than just declarations of principle; it requires a physical and emotional space where people can literally “put themselves into play” together. Through this practice, WP2 does not just include young migrants into an existing structure but transforms the structure itself, building the foundations for a more cohesive European citizenship.<\/span><\/p>\n

Riferimenti<\/b><\/p>\n

    \n
  • Allport, G. W. (1954). <\/span>The Nature of Prejudice<\/span><\/i>. Addison-Wesley.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Cantle, T. (2012). <\/span>Interculturalism: The New Era of Cohesion and Diversity<\/span><\/i>. Palgrave Macmillan.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Tajfel, H., & Turner, J. C. (1979). An integrative theory of intergroup conflict. In W. G. Austin & S. Worchel (Eds.), <\/span>The Social Psychology of Intergroup Relations<\/span><\/i> (pp. 33-47). Brooks\/Cole.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Con licenza CC BY-SA 4.0 \u2014 \u00a9 ECHO Project, Co-finanziato dall\u2019Unione Europea.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Il finanziamento proviene dall\u2019Unione Europea. Tuttavia, i punti di vista e le opinioni espresse sono esclusivamente di chi li ha espressi e non riflettono necessariamente quelli dell\u2019Unione Europea o dell\u2019Agenzia esecutiva per l\u2019istruzione e la cultura (EACEA). L\u2019Unione Europea e l\u2019EACEA non possono essere ritenuti responsabili di tali opinioni. Progetto n. 2025-1-IE01-KA220-YOU-000359221.<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    In un\u2019epoca caratterizzata dalla \u201csuperdiversit\u00e0\u201d, la semplice coesistenza non \u00e8 sufficiente per l\u2019integrazione sociale. Il Work Package 2 del progetto ECHO (Theatre of Inclusion) sfrutta la forza del teatro partecipativo come strumento sociologico trasformativo. Sgombrando il paradigma \u201cnoi contro loro\u201d, favorisce una vera coesione interculturale tra giovani migranti e membri della comunit\u00e0 locale. Attraverso esercizi collaborativi e narrazioni condivise, i partecipanti creano un\u2019identit\u00e0 nuova e inclusiva che trascende i pregiudizi. Scoprite come questo approccio innovativo non solo promuove la comprensione, ma anche costruisce le basi per una cittadinanza europea pi\u00f9 coesa, trasformando la diversit\u00e0 in una risorsa vitale per la creativit\u00e0 collettiva.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":2449,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"page_builder":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-246","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general"],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/www.echo4inclusion.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Progetto-senza-titolo-4-scaled.jpg",2560,1920,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.echo4inclusion.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Progetto-senza-titolo-4-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.echo4inclusion.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Progetto-senza-titolo-4-300x225.jpg",300,225,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.echo4inclusion.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Progetto-senza-titolo-4-768x576.jpg",768,576,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.echo4inclusion.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Progetto-senza-titolo-4-1024x768.jpg",1024,768,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.echo4inclusion.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Progetto-senza-titolo-4-1536x1152.jpg",1536,1152,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.echo4inclusion.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Progetto-senza-titolo-4-2048x1536.jpg",2048,1536,true],"trp-custom-language-flag":["https:\/\/www.echo4inclusion.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Progetto-senza-titolo-4-16x12.jpg",16,12,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Fondazione Monnalisa ONLUS","author_link":"https:\/\/www.echo4inclusion.eu\/it\/author\/fondazione-monnalisa-onlus\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"In an era marked by \u201csuper-diversity,\u201d mere coexistence is insufficient for social integration. The ECHO project\u2019s Work Package 2 (Theatre of Inclusion) harnesses the power of participatory theatre as a transformative sociological tool. By dismantling the \u201cus vs. them\u201d paradigm, it fosters genuine intercultural cohesion among young migrants and local community members. 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