Mirella D'Ascenzo BA
(hons), PhD, Full professor in History of education,
Department of Education Science, University of Bologna, Italy.
Mirella D’Ascenzo is Full Professor in History of Education and History of Schooling at the Department of Education Studies at the University of Bologna.
She obtained a Ph. D. in Pedagogical Sciences at the University of Bologna.
Her lines of research focus on material school culture and historical–educational heritage, teachers’ biographies, the history of the teaching profession, open air schools and outdoor education..
She obtained a Fellowship at Centro Internacional de la Cultura Escolar (CEINCE) at Berlanga de Duero (Soria–Spagna) for the coordination of the Italian component of the Research Project entitled “Patrimonio Histórico-Educativo y Cultura Material de la Escuela en la Europa del Sur”.
She is member of the scientific associations SIPED, CIRSE, SIPSE, ISCHE.
She has worked on several Research Projects of National Interest (PRIN) and is a member of scientific committees in several book series, as well as the International Scientific Committee of the journal “History of Education & Children’s Literature”. Her current research focuses on the history of open air schools and educational practices.
She is the author of numerous articles in scientific journals and has published several books: La scuola elementare in età liberale. Il caso Bologna (1859–1911) (Clueb, 1997); Tra centro e periferia. La scuola elementare a Bologna dalla Daneo–Credaro all’avocazione statale 1859–1933, (Clueb, 2006); Scuola, didattica e musei tra Otto e Novecento. Il Museo didattico ‘Luigi Bombicci’ di Bologna, Clueb,2008); Alberto Calderara. Microstoria di una professione docente tra Otto e Novecento (Clueb, 2011, which won the Siped National Award in 2015);Tutti a scuola? L’istruzione elementare nella pianura bolognese tra Otto e Novecento (Clueb, 2013); Col libro in mano. Maestri, editoria e vita scolastica tra Otto e Novecento, SEI, 2013; Dalla parte delle maestre. La stagione pedagogica di Virginia Predieri,1931–2009, (Pensa Multimedia, 2016); Per una storia delle scuole all’aperto in Italia (ETS, 2018).
Her studies and publications focus on the analysis of education policies in History of education. She is interested in history of teaching profession, school textbooks, material school culture, women’s history, school memories and educational historical heritage. Her recent works concern open air schools and outdoor education and learning.