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"I Am Hip-Hop": Intersectional Inclusion and the Future of Hip-Hop Pedagogies in Italian Public Schools

Mon, April 20, 2:15 to 3:45pm, Virtual Room

Abstract

Objectives

Tommy Kuti, an activist and Black Italian rapper, has recently exposed issues of racism and cultural appropriation in Italian rap (Naccari, 2018). He has argued that most of the white Italian artists do not respect the philosophy of Hip-Hop, adopting only the fashionable aspects of African and African-American cultures (ibid.). Such superficial performance of Blackness, ignoring multiple systems of oppression, reflects color-evasive perspectives of racism and inclusion characterising the Italian society (Migliarini, 2017; 2018; 2019). Drawing on the community experience of “I Am Hip-Hop: Beats, Rhymes and Culture”, hosted by the American non-profit organization You Artistry Collaborative in Terni, Italy, this paper intends to demonstrate the potential of Hip-Hop Based Education (HHBE) (Hill, 2009) to create a culturally relevant and inclusive learning environment in Italian public schools. It argues that this practice helps illuminating the complexity of Hip-Hop culture, as it informs cultural flow, syncretism, indigenization, hybridity, (im)migration and diaspora (Alim, 2009).

Perspective(s) or Theoretical Frameworks

We use Lave and Wenger’s (1991) perspective of sociocultural learning, which emphasizes how learning is a social process, where individuals participate in situated activities with “communities of practitioners working toward full participation in the sociocultural practices of the community” (p. 29). We also draw on Wilson’s (2007 in Love, 2015) notion of Hip-Hop community of practice, which she defines as what Hip-Hop participants do, how they practice Hip-Hop in their daily lives, and how what they do creates meaning and identity. Ultimately, this paper draws on the intersectional interdisciplinary framework of Disability Critical Race Theory in Education, which illuminates how ability is distributed and withheld based on race through policies and practices, and recognizes interlocking oppressions faced by students at the interstices of multiple differences (Annamma, Connor, & Ferri, 2013; 2016).

Methodology and Data Sources

This paper centers on critical analysis of video-recordings (Xu, et al, 2019) of participants’ situated learning while attending a lyrical storytelling and beats production workshops, during the public community event “I Am Hip-Hop”, in Terni, Italy. The analysis presented in this paper is based on videos and artifacts of 10 randomly selected participants.


Substantiated Conclusion and Scholarly Significance

Initial findings of our artifacts reveal that Italian and migrant youth entered the workshops with complex language-shifting abilities, kinesthetic brilliance, creativity and reflective and critical thinking skills. Particularly, migrant youth produced texts using multiple languages, including their local West African languages, to express their frustration with the process of social integration in Italy, and the difficult relationships they have with white Italian citizens. Italian youth have mostly expressed their relationship to Hip-Hop and their ideas of what it takes to be a rapper.

This paper expands the knowledge of HHBE, exploring its impact as an inclusive practice outside of the US context. It opens up possibilities for new interpretations of the global Hip-Hop culture, while encouraging migrants to “come as they are” and helping Italian youth to a deeper understanding of aspects of Black culture, through participatory practices (Love, 2015).

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