ABSTRACT
Arising from the confluence of the illuminist project with that of the affirmation and construction of the nation-state, and of these two with capitalism, as a mode of organizing production, school systems represent one of the core loci of the construction of modernity. The development of school for all, especially after the Second World War, rested on the achievement, even if limited, of the social-democratic ideal of equality of opportunities. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, first in Europe and then in other world spaces, the school changed from a fundamental institution to linguistic and cultural homogenization, the invention of national citizenship, and the rise of the nation-state. Determining the possible starting points for the design of an education agenda that is alternative to that of the right has undeniable importance and meaning.
