Between Public History of Education and identity dissemination: the role of Italian American Museums

This paper explores the role of Italian American museums as spaces of mediation between Public History of Education and identity transmission. Through a historical-educational and museological analysis, it highlights how these institutions have transformed exhibition spaces from mere containers of objects into narrative and participatory tools capable of fostering processes of Heritage Education. Museums dedicated to the Italian diaspora in the United States represent emblematic cases of intercultural narration and collective memory. Storytelling practices, deeply intertwined with community dynamics and the ideological tensions inherent in ethnic representation, raise critical questions about the educational and social role of the contemporary museum.