Editorial Intermezzo

Abstract

Following the theoretical coordinates presented in the first part of this volume, at the more abstract level and while considering Brazil as a case study—some past, present, and future developments and implications—this section assembles concrete examples about experiencing educational contexts from inside, outside, and in between. We assume here that educational processes entail liminarity: human beings develop in the measure that their continuous meaning-making activity produces distinctions between borders, creates borders, and modifies borders. Three sections are introduced here, including chapters that analyze educational realities in five different countries: Italy, Brazil, Argentina, Japan, and the United Kingdom. The Insideness section focuses on developmental processes that take place within the school, elaborating on such topics as cooperation, social rules, relationships between language and developmental processes, violence, and family–school interactions. The Outsideness section includes five chapters that, coming from distinct sociocultural contexts, share common interests, inquiring about educational contexts and activities beyond the walls of the school. Finally, the four chapters found in the Betweenness section analyze various facets at the school–family–work intersection.