Genesi e sviluppo della clinica della formazione: il pensiero di Riccardo Massa tra riflessione e sociomaterialismo

This dissertation aims to trace the origin and evolution of Massa’s thought. The latter is also placed within the current debate on learning theories, and further developed thanks to Fook’s critical reflection and Latour’s actor-network theory. Firstly, Massa’s writings are discussed. The influence of Marxism, Althusser, Foucault, and psychoanalysis on Massa’s socio-materialistic understanding of the learning process is investigated. Particular attention is given to the Foucauldian notions of ‘micro-physic of power’, ‘apparatus’, and ‘clinic’. On that basis, Massa’s ‘educational apparatus’ and ‘Clinica della formazione’ [Foucauldian clinic applied to the learning process] are debated, together with their mutual relationships. Educational apparatus is proved to be the core of Massa’s thought. Thanks to this notion, Massa simultaneously granted agency to materiality, and depicted education as a complex phenomenon underpinned by both human and non-human elements in interactions between each other. The ‘educational apparatus’ also acts as a theoretical grid to be projected on the learning process under scrutiny in order to reveal its hidden complex structure. Clinica della formazione consists in the set of techniques which makes this procedure possible; hence, it is Foucauldian. Clinica della formazione is presented and placed within the Italian educational debate of the 80’s-90’s. Moreover, its goals and methods are debated. Clinica della formazione is proved to be anthropocentric: it does not grant agency to non-human and it is based on a reflective process. In order to highlight the gap between Clinica della formazione and Massa’s original socio-materialistic epistemological background, the notions of reflection and reflexion are discussed, together with the works of Dewey, Kolb, Schön, Mezirow, Sheppard, Brookfield, and Fook. In order to further develop Clinica della formazione as a consultancy and supervision methodology, a contamination between Clinica della Formazione and Fook’s critical reflection is suggested. Latour’s actor-network theory (ANT) is identified as the most suitable research methodology to investigate the learning process according to Massa’s original materialistic epistemology. History and key aspects of ANT are presented; its position within Science and Technology Studies debated. The impact of ANT on educational research is discussed. Massa’s work is lastly compared to Latour’s one: the notion of ‘educational apparatus’ is compared to Latour’s notion of ‘network’ and Massa’s learning theory is reread taking into consideration Latour’s concepts of ‘translation’, ‘mediation’, and ‘assemblage’. Finally, Massa’s ‘theatrical deixis’ is discussed. This notion clearly suggests that Massa was moving away from Clinica della formazione methodological apparatus to fully embrace his original materialistic background. It also shows Massa’s attempt to plan and implement a consultancy process in line with the socio-material understanding of the learning process.