Giovanna Brambilla's 'Soggetti smarriti' rethinks museum education and inclusion

Giovanna Brambilla's book 'Soggetti smarriti: il museo alla prova del visitatore' (published by Editrice Bibliografica, Milan, 2021, 264 pp., €23) argues that museum education departments are the true avant-garde within cultural institutions. Drawing on references from Paul Valéry to Checco Zalone, Brambilla critiques the gap between official ICOM and MiBACT definitions of accessibility and the reality of visitor experience. She cites Umberto Eco's discomfort in museums and calls for empathetic engagement with non-publics, including Maghrebi women in Italy and blind or visually impaired individuals. The book advocates for museums as 'casa di tutti' (home for all), where collective memory and grief (e.g., Bergamo's pandemic experience) are preserved. Brambilla warns against forced integration policies, emphasizing equity and social justice over homogenization. The review by Anna Detheridge highlights the book's zigzag path through cinema, literature, and everyday life, positioning educational services as uniquely attuned to the outside world.