Beyond Integration. The empirical construction of educational inclusion within local contexts

This study investigates educational inclusion as a situated social process, moving beyond the traditional concept of integration. While integration aims to adapt "divergent" individuals to a stable system through compensatory tools , inclusion is presented as a transformative logic that questions how institutional practices themselves generate marginalization. +4 Using Calabria as a "critical laboratory," the research explores inclusion within a context of fragile infrastructure and fragmented social policies. Key findings highlight a persistent "functional overload," where schools act as informal welfare outposts to address vulnerabilities—such as material poverty and territorial isolation—that exceed formal administrative categories. Ultimately, the work reveals a gap between inclusive rhetoric and daily practice, where inclusion remains an "unstable equilibrium" reliant on individual commitment and informal mediations rather than stable institutional frameworks.