Pedagogies For Building Cultures Of Peace

Pedagogies for Building Cultures of Peace explores how normalizations of violence are constructed, from the perspective of young adults, and offers pedagogies oriented toward building cultures of peace.

In an age where official and sponsored violence are becoming normalised and conceived of as legitimate tools of peace keeping, a number of leading academics and activists represented in Pedagogy, Politics and Philosophy of Peace interrogate and resist the intensification of the militarisation of civil life and of international relations. Coming from different areas of study, the contributors to this volume discuss peace and critical peace education from a range of perspectives. The nature of peace, myths related to peace, the logistics of peace and peacemaking as well as the relation of peace and pedagogy in the broadest meaning of the term constitute the main themes of the book. The common thread that binds the chapters together is the distinction between genuine/authentic and false peace and the importance of critical reflection on actions that contribute to genuine peace.

From violence and abuse within family units, to communities and regions torn apart by inter-group conflict and wars among nations, the human condition is rife with turmoil. The consequences of this seemingly perpetual strife weigh heavily on humanity, often creating feelings of powerlessness and hopelessness that only serve to breed more conflict and violence. In the face of these monumental challenges, initiatives for peace struggle to take root. Seeking effective ways to encourage these efforts, the United Nations adopted three declarations on the eve of the 21st century, including the “Declaration on a Culture of Peace” that broadly defines what the vision looks like and the actions necessary to build cultures of peace. Taking up this central challenge of our time, this volume of collected essays presents multiple perspectives on the critical issues of peace and conflict resolution that pervade the globe, addressing the UN’s charge to develop “values, attitudes, modes of behavior and ways of life conducive to the promotion of peace among individuals, groups, and nations.” Bringing together scholars and practitioners from fields including education, sociology, criminology, political science, and peace studies, this work constructively engages the task of creating peace and fostering hope in a conflict-ridden world.

Peace Education: * presents views on the nature of peace education, its history, and relationships to neighboring fields; * examines relevant psychological and pedagogical principles, such as the contact experience, conciliation through personal story telling, reckoning with traumatic memories, body-work, and the socio-emotional aspects of reconciliation; and * introduces an array of international examples from countries, such as Croatia, Northern Ireland, Israel, South Africa, Rwanda, and the United States in order to generalize lessons learned. A "must have" for all those thinking, planning, conducting, and studying peace education programs, it is intended for scholars, students, and researchers interested in peace and conflict resolution in higher education and volunteer and public organizations. Its cross disciplinary approach will appeal to those in social and political psychology, communication, education, religion, political science, sociology, and philosophy.

We know that peace education helps individuals transform conflict in their own lives, understand and respect other cultures and ways of living, and treasure the Earth. Teachers of peace education encourage their students to cooperate with each other, think critically, solve problems constructively, take part in responsible decision-making, communicate clearly, and share their feelings and commitment openly. These skills and values are essential for survival in an increasingly interdependent world, where violence has become an instrument of policy. Peace education seeks to enable learners to envision a range of possibilities that could lead from a culture of war and violence to a culture of peace. One widely used method to encourage such envisioning is posing an inquiry into the characteristics of peace. Efforts are being made to educate students and teachers about non-violence and human rights via peace education programs. This book lays a foundation for students, teachers and peace educators to explore the elements necessary to create a peaceful society. Educating for Peace will help to build a peaceful, just and sustainable world for our children. Educating for Peace consists of seventeen chapters. Chapter one deals with the pro-motion of education for a peaceful society; chapter two details how to emphasise the importance of peace to children. Chapter three of this book sketches out peace education in a non-formal way, while chapter four deals with education for peace and non-violence. The following chapter clearly defines the conceptualization of peace education. Chapter six defines what exactly a culture of peace entails, while chapter seven deals with a research study on non-violence. Chapters eight and nine address pressing concerns in peace education and creating a violence-free school respectively. Chapters ten and eleven deal with the role of value education for world peace. Chapter twelve deals with pedagogical approaches and chapter thirteen defines human rights education. The remaining chapters deal with different aspects of peace education. This book is an attempt to identify and deliberate on topics that should be addressed if we are to fully establish peace education. This book is written mainly for researchers, peace educators and students.

This book presents commentaries by a leading international group of peace education scholars and practitioners concerning Reardon’s peace education theory and intellectual legacy. The guiding question throughout the book is: How can her foundational work be used to advance the theory and practice of peace education? In an attempt to find answers, the contributing authors explore three general areas of inquiry: (1) Theoretical Foundations of Peace and Human Rights Education; (2) Feminism and the Gender Perspective as Pathways of Transformation Toward Peace and Justice; and (3) Peace Education Pedagogy and Practices. A contemplative commentary by Reardon herself rounds out the coverage

This collection presents interdisciplinary perspectives on educating for peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It explores a range of theories, contexts, pedagogies and practices within formal education settings and draws attention to the multiple roles that teachers play in fostering socially transformative learning. The volume offers readers a critical exploration of peace pedagogy as an imagined ideal and fluid space between post-war educational politics, institutional and curricular constraints, and the lived experiences and identities of teachers and students in socially and historically situated communities. The book highlights local voices, initiatives and practices by illustrating good examples of how classrooms are being connected to communities, teacher education programs and teachers continued professional development. It demonstrates why and how the grammars of peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina are still in a state of flux and negotiation, and what the implications are for classroom practice and pedagogy. Recommendations are offered for policymakers, curriculum developers, teacher educators and teachers on how peace pedagogies can be promoted at all levels of the education system and through pre-service and in-service teacher education, taking into account the structural uniqueness of the country. .

The growing literature on Peace Education reflects a dynamic filed. Since the early decades of the 20th century, “Peace Education” programmes around the world have represented a number of focal themes, including anti-nuclearism, environmental responsibility, international understanding, communication skills, non-violence, human right awareness, democracy, conflict resolution techniques, tolerance of diversity, co-existence and gender equality among others. Peace Education includes cultivation of peacebuilding skills, e.g. dialogue, mediation, artistic endeavors. Peace educators, then teach the value of respect, understanding and nonviolence, present skills for analyzing international conflict, educate for alternative security systems and use a pedagogy that is democratic and particular. Thus, peace education as a practice and philosophy refers to matching complementary element between education and society, where the social purpose (i.e. why teach), educative process are conducive to fostering peace. Accordingly, peace education is dialogical experience conducted through participatory learning, where learners communally and co-operatively grapple with contemporary issues (i.e., talking points) related to local and global contexts (Akaamaa, 2013).