The Intersection of Migration and Peacebuilding: Perspectives from Colombia, Venezuela, and Honduras

Group Submission Type: Formal Panel Session

Proposal

The field of Education in Emergencies (EiE) field seeks to understand the provision of education in contexts of conflict and protracted crises (Burde et al 2017). While the definition provided by INEE includes the spectrum of education during a conflict and in the aftermath for peacebuilding (Lerch and Buckner 2017), in general the field is bifurcated between studies that focus on crises contexts and forced displacement and those that focus more on post-conflict and peacebuilding. For example, some scholars focus on education in contexts of forced displacement and education for refugees (for example, see Dryden-Peterson et al. 2019; Mendenhall et al. 2015; etc). Other scholars study the role of education systems in the aftermath of conflict for the promotion of transitional justice, peacebuilding, and reconciliation (see for example, Bellino et al. 2017; Cole 2007; Davies 2017;Novelli and Lopes Cardozo 2008; Russell 2020, etc). In this panel, we aim to integrate these various strands of the EiE field by drawing on case studies on both peacebuilding and forced displacement. Moreover, we seek to understand the interplay between migration and peacebuilding, highlighting the perspectives of youth. The studies in this panel explore experiences of both internal and external forced displacement and migration driven by internal civil conflict, climate disaster, and political instability through interviews with participants from Colombia, Venezuela, and Honduras.

We present three papers using the case of Colombia, which signed a peace agreement in 2016 after more than 50 years of armed conflict. Nonetheless, killings of ex-guerilla combatants and social leaders have continued in the aftermath of the peace process (HRW 2020). According to recent data from the final report of the Truth Commission, between 1985 and 2018 the ongoing conflict resulted in more than 9 million victims, including nearly 8 million internally displaced people and nearly half a million homicides inflicted by paramilitaries, guerrillas, and state forces (Informe Final CEV 2022). In addition, more than 2.5 million Venezuelan refugees and migrants are currently residing in Colombia, resulting in two concurrent crises. We also present one paper from Honduras, which has also experienced gang-related violence and climate change-induced migration (Angarita-Cañas, 2020; Pegram & Oakes, 2017). We highlight these as key cases to explore the interrelated phenomena of migration, violence, and peacebuilding in the region Migration, conflict and violence are interconnected in the region.

In the first presentation, we discuss findings from a large-scale mixed methods project on the relationship between peacebuilding and migration drawing on data collected with students at the Colombian-Venezuelan border. We share Colombian and Venezuelan youths’ perspectives on conflict and peacebuilding. The second presentation focuses on the important role of victims in the school setting among youth in three diverse schools using visual methods. It discusses how students engage with ideas about victimhood and the extent to which narratives around victims contribute or hinder societal transition and transformation. The third presentation investigates the link between violence and climate change-induced displacement and the impact on access to education for girls in Honduras. The paper on Honduras finds that people affected by conflict and gang violence are also vulnerable to climate migration. The last presentation explores how youth envision their future amidst migration and conflict through surveys and interviews in Colombia. The paper shares youth’s perspectives both on migration and their role in the peacebuilding process. The panel seeks to provide an overview of the peacebuilding and migration processes from the perspective of different actors and across varied contexts.

Sub Unit

• Education in Conflict and Emergencies SIG

Chair

• S. Garnett Russell, Columbia University Teachers College

Individual Presentations

• Venezuelan Migrants amidst Conflict and Peace in Colombia - S. Garnett Russell, Columbia University Teachers College; Paula L Mantilla Blanco, Columbia University Teachers College; Sara M. Pan Algarra, Columbia University Teachers College; Victoria H Jones, Columbia University Teachers College

• Climate Change-Induced Displacement and Girls’ Access to Education in Honduras - Sara M. Pan Algarra, Columbia University Teachers College

• Hoping (not) to Migrate: Personal and Collective Futures Amid Conflict in Colombia - Paula L Mantilla Blanco, Columbia University Teachers College