The Narrative of the Unemployed. A Story of Formative Growth

This paper develops some fundamental reflections on the essence and possibilities of “training”, with reference to certain types of audience, characterized by marginality and even deviant behaviours. The author recalls the main steps of a training path addressed to adults, through the narration and the analysis of on-the-field experiences, which are examinedboth at the operational and the hermeneutical level at the same time, by relying on the narrative method as well as on the theoretical analysis. The study sheds light on crucial problems in the field of sociology of cultural processes and interdisciplinary areas that are interrelated with the general dimension of education. By focusing on lifelong learning as a tool for identity restructuring, the discussion explores the contradictions but also the great potential of this particular device of social action.