Leggere il mondo urbano alla luce delle pratiche di mediazione di vicinato. Il caso italiano in prospettiva comparata

The research mainly carried out in Italy is focused on mediation, its theoretical orientations and practices. In Italy the culture of mediation is not well-rooted in the social and institutional fabric. However, during the last decade mediation has known a significant development in several areas of social life, such as family and school, urban space and workplace, civil and penal controversies. The outbreak of the phenomenon has not been followed by systematic studies which could help to comprehend the state of art of Italian mediation. Therefore, the main goal is to close the gap between practice and theory. We draw up an overview of mediation in Italy by analysing representations, different processes and practices of implementation, policies of mediation promoted by local authorities. In order to reach this aim, we decided to interview Italian mediators who work in the area of 'social' mediation, which seem to be one of the least clear because of the confusion concerning its purposes and contexts of implementation. Participant observation and documental analyses also have been done in order to deepen the comprehension of the phenomenon. During the fieldwork we discovered the influence of the 'French model' on the Italian mediation. For this reason we decided to empirically investigate an experience very often quoted by Italian mediators, namely the Amely Association and the ALTM Association in Lyon, France.