LA COSTRUZIONE DELL’IDENTITÀ CULTURALE NELL’INTERAZIONE IN LINGUA SECONDA CON STUDENTI MIGRANTI

Cultural identities are the product of social relationships. Second language teaching for immigrant children can be studied as a type of interaction building cultural differences and identities. Intercultural pedagogy promotes the achievement of interactions based on a clearly paradoxical conjunction between sharing and respecting differences. This research shows that second language interactions feature some recurrent structures: hierarchical complementary relationships between teachers and students; teachers’ corrections concerning students’ cultural perspectives; teachers’ didactic formulations; reflection on cultural identities; conflict avoidance about different cultural perspectives. Recurrent reproduction of these structures leads to sharing and adaptation, and prevents an effective management in applying intercultural pedagogy and producing intercultural contact in second language teaching interaction. The “educational” structures of these interactions are the main obstacle for the construction of respectful different cultural identities. The research shows that working on the promotion of students’ participation may enhance an effective intercultural coordination of identities.