Teachers as transformative agents in protracted conflict: The case of Cameroon

• In Event: Language, Identity, and Schooling in Protracted Conflict: Comparative Perspectives on Educational Transformation

Proposal

In contexts of conflict, education systems are often destabilized, politicized, and weaponized, with schools becoming sites of ideological contestation and physical violence (Garnett Russell, 2020; Pherali et al, 2020; Shah, 2023). Cameroon’s Anglophone crisis, which erupted in 2016, exemplifies this dynamic. The conflict—rooted in historical grievances over linguistic and political marginalization—has led to the closure of two-thirds of schools in the Anglophone regions, disrupted the education of over 700,000 youth, and resulted in the abduction and killing of teachers and students (ICG, 2023; GCPEA, 2022). In this fractured landscape, teachers occupy a paradoxical space: they are both victims of violence and agents of transformation. Their roles extend far beyond instructional delivery, encompassing civic leadership, emotional support, and political navigation. Yet, despite their centrality, teachers are often underrepresented in policy discourse and idealized in academic literature as heroic figures capable of “solving” conflict, without sufficient attention to the risks, constraints, and strategic decisions they face daily.

The presentation will share findings from my dissertation, entitled Teachers as Transformative Agents in Protracted Conflict: The Case of Cameroon, which re-examines the role of teachers in peacebuilding through a nuanced, empirically grounded exploration of teacher agency in protracted crises. The presentation aligns with the CIES 2025 theme, “Re-examining Education and Peace in a Divided World,” by interrogating how educators in conflict-affected contexts perceive and enact their responsibilities toward peace, reconciliation, and social cohesion. The study foregrounds teacher voices, challenges reductive narratives, and contributes to a more complex understanding of education’s potential to foster peace in deeply divided societies.

My research was guided by three central questions:
• RQ1: How do secondary school teachers perceive their roles and responsibilities toward peacebuilding during protracted conflict?
• RQ2: In what ways do teachers enact their perceived responsibilities inside and outside of the classroom during protracted conflict?
• RQ3: What opportunity and risk factors do teachers associate with adopting those responsibilities?

To address these questions, my study employed a multi-sited qualitative case study involving document analysis along with focus groups and semi-structured interviews with 150 secondary school educators across seven regions of Cameroon. Data was collected in partnership with the Cameroon Fulbright TEA Alumni Association, a local teachers’ association. Document analysis for this research involved analyzing Cameroonian secondary school curricula, training materials from 34 teacher training colleges, and education policy documents to assess the extent of formal preparation for teachers related to conflict and peacebuilding. These materials revealed a significant gap in teacher training and curricular support for navigating conflict-related responsibilities. The focus groups and interviews explored how teacher identity, professional constraints, and personal motivations shape decisions to engage with or withdraw from peacebuilding initiatives. They also investigated manifestations of agency in daily practice, offering insight into how teachers creatively align with or diverge from peacebuilding activities.

The study is grounded in a theoretical framework that integrates scholarship on teacher agency with literature from the fields of education, conflict, and peacebuilding. This framework is based on the premise that education in conflict zones can either reinforce structures of violence or contribute to structures of peace, depending on how it is delivered and by whom (Galtung, 1969; Pherali, 2019). Teachers are among the most influential actors in this equation, shaping student experiences through curriculum delivery, textbook interpretation, historical narratives, and responses to inequality (Richardson et al., 2018; Burde et al., 2017). However, their personal and professional identities, and their (in)capacities and (un)willingness to support expanded responsibilities, are often assumed rather than carefully explored (Shah, 2023).

As such, the paper employs a temporal-ecological understanding of agency (Priestley, 2015; Biesta & Tedder, 2007), which conceptualizes agency as an evolving phenomenon shaped by structural, cultural, material, and personal conditions. Agency is not a fixed trait but an achievement realized through interaction with contextual factors such as curriculum policies, school cultures, and resource availability. It is influenced by both past experiences and future aspirations. The study also draws on a Strategic Relational Approach (SRA) (Hay, 2002), which views teachers as strategic and political actors whose responses vary based on their interpretations of the environment and their motivations. This dual framework allows for a nuanced analysis of how teachers navigate complex and often contradictory expectations in conflict settings. Literature on teacher agency further informs the study’s conceptual lens. Scholars categorize agency into adoption, adaptation, transformation, and resistance (Robinson, 2012; Vähäsantanen et al., 2009). By examining these dynamics in Cameroon, the study contributes to a deeper understanding of the double-sided nature of teacher agency and the conditions under which educators choose to engage with, ignore, or retreat from peacebuilding efforts.

This presentation aims to share empirical findings from the research with the wider goal of contributing to conversations around shaping education policies designed to support teachers in conflict-affected contexts. By amplifying teacher voices and examining the strategic decisions they make in navigating conflict, the findings contribute to a re-examination of education’s role in building peace—not as a top-down intervention, but as a dynamic, context-sensitive process shaped by those who teach on the frontlines. Insights from Cameroon will have relevance for other countries experiencing insecurity, particularly those grappling with politicized education systems, contentious histories, and seemingly irreconcilable divisions. The focus on secondary education also addresses a critical gap in empirical data on education in emergencies specific to that demographic. Centering secondary-level teachers highlights the unique opportunities and challenges of peace education for this age group and underscores the importance of supporting educators who work with adolescents in crisis settings.

Author

• Whitney Hough, IREX