Biographies and autobiographies that deal with illness are the central themes of this contribution. Through self-narrative writing, the powerful nature of illness stories emerges – stories that reveal worlds often difficult to access, yet made visible through the expressive and delicate lens of autobiographical writing. This contribution specifically examines ‘pathobiographies’: life narratives seen through the lens of illness. These are stories written either by the patient themselves or by a professional, and they highlight how illness has influenced the individual’s life; how the person has experienced and perceived their pathological condition; and how society and the historical context have shaped their experience of illness. Reading such biographies can transform not only the way we treat individuals, but also how we listen to them, see them, relate to them within society, and bring their voices into the public sphere.
University of Florence, Italy - ORCID: 0009-0008-1332-0851
Chapter Title
Biografie, autobiografie e percorsi del Sé professionale
Authors
Caterina Benelli
Language
Italian
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-0943-4.06
Peer Reviewed
Publication Year
2026
Copyright Information
© 2026 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Book Title
Formare professionisti dell’educazione, della scuola, della cura
Book Subtitle
La Scuola in Ospedale e l’Istruzione Domiciliare
Editors
Vanna Boffo
Peer Reviewed
Number of Pages
208
Publication Year
2026
Copyright Information
© 2026 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Publisher Name
Firenze University Press
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-0943-4
ISBN Print
979-12-215-0942-7
eISBN (pdf)
979-12-215-0943-4
eISBN (xml)
979-12-215-0944-1
Series Title
Studies on Adult Learning and Education
Series ISSN
2704-596X
Series E-ISSN
2704-5781