The Italian educator and physician Maria Montessori (1870–1952) is best known for the teaching method that bears her name. She was also a lifelong pacifist, although historians tend to consider her writings on this topic as secondary to her pedagogy. In The Best Weapon for Peace, Erica Moretti reframes Montessori's pacifism as the foundation for her educational activism, emphasizing her vision of the classroom as a gateway to reshaping society. Montessori education offers a child-centered learning environment that cultivates students' development as peaceful, curious, and resilient adults opposed to war and invested in societal reform.
Using newly discovered primary sources, Moretti examines Montessori's lifelong pacifist work, including her ultimately unsuccessful push for the creation of the White Cross, a humanitarian organization for war-affected children. Moretti shows that Montessori's educational theories and practices would come to define chilren's rights once adopted by influential international organizations, including the United Nations. She uncovers the significance of Montessori's evolving philosophy of peace and early childhood education within broader conversations about internationalism and humanitarianism.
eBook - PDF
The Best Weapon for Peace
Maria Montessori, Education, and Children's Rights
- 347 pages
- English
- PDF
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF
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Information
Print ISBN
9780299333140
9780299333102
Subtopic
Education BiographiesTable of contents
- Contents
- List of Illustrations
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- 1. Peace from Within: How the Montessori Method Came About
- 2. The White Cross: Rehabilitating War-Stricken Children to Prevent War
- 3. Ending Conflict with Education: The 1917 Peace Lectures
- 4. Montessori in Fascist Italy
- 5. Montessori’s First Public Lectures on Peace, 1932–1939
- 6. The Child as Agent of Radical Change: The Years in India
- Conclusions: The Legacy of Montessori’s Pacifism
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
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