The "right to war" and "the right to peace" in educational projects submitted to the Parliament of the Kingdom of Sicily (1812-1815)

In the projects responding to an announcement concerning the reorganization of the Sicilian school system, two of the most widespread leitmotifs are the terms “peace” and, especially, “war”. Inside the above-mentioned projects, the introduction of military seminars and practicing is presented as one of the reactions to war and its related issues, ranging from the fear of the war itself to the idea of war as a “right” of each nation. The “right to peace” paradigm includes the defense of the “Sicilian nation”, the veneration of the “flag” and the devotion to the new Constitution; such paradigm provides a series of strategies aiming at reorienting education practices towards a “dedication to the constitutional sentiment”. This purpose was attained by means of elaborating constitutional Catechisms, as well as specific celebrations and educational procedures. The present work aims at highlighting “how much” and “in which ways” the topics of “war” and “peace” were dealt with at the beginning of XIXth century, a defining moment for the history of Sicily due to the British protectorate and to the promulgation of Magna Charta. This contribution focuses on the analysis of ten educational plans and projects, written in Sicily between 1812 and 1815.