Beyond the Future and Back to the Past

Catia Santi

In previous introductions to the journal Beyond, study abroad students have been analyzed as “immigrants” (Beyond 2), compared with “the other” (Beyond 3), and placed at the center of discussion as individuals beyond differences of gender, race, and religion (Beyond 5). But today, exactly which students are we talking about? Who is the international student who comes to Italy to study in a Study Abroad Program? Regardless of the country they come from, their gender, religion, or background, today’s students have undoubtedly experienced the pandemic during adolescence and have learned to take care of themselves and their inner world. They have reshaped their social interactions, relying more on digital communication, with a common perception that limiting social interactions would keep them safer. And that’s exactly what happened.

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