Mario Tommasini and community-driven deinstitutionalization
Alessandra M. Straniero, Fabio Bocci
The process of deinstitutionalization is not limited — historically or conceptually — to the closure of total institutions (psychiatric hospitals, special schools, etc.). Rather, it also entails the «questioning» of other contexts such as nursing homes, prisons, orphanages (in their various transformations over time), and so forth. Bearing this premise in mind, and considering deinstitutionalization as a community-driven practice and as an «unfinished process», the authors of this article have chosen to focus on Mario Tommasini — a figure perhaps little known today, yet one who profoundly marked, through his action (above all political, in its noblest sense), a long season of struggles in defense of society’s most vulnerable: the mentally ill, people with disabilities, prisoners, the elderly, orphans, and others. Narrating who Mario Tommasini was also provides an opportunity to take stock of the current state of our social system and to reflect on the urgent need to revitalize deinstitutionalizing practices in our own time, which unfortunately is increasingly marked by regression in policies concerning diversity, inclusion, equity, and accessibility.
Keywords
Mario Tommasini, Deinstitutionalization, Franco Basaglia, Anti-Psychiatry Movement, Inclusion.
