Reimagining Positive Peace

Group Submission Type: Formal Panel Session

Proposal

This symposium will explore Galtung’s theory of positive and negative peace to examine how schools and educators interpret and enact (or, in some cases, impede) peace and peacebuilding in three diverse contexts – Kazakhstan, India and Northern Ireland. Through a comparative approach, this symposium seeks to generate a richer, more nuanced understanding of (and opportunities in) building sustainable and equitable societies. Each of the papers presents empirical research done on peace and peace education in the aforementioned countries, conducted by researchers and stakeholders (e.g. policy makers, educators) from various backgrounds and contexts.

While trajectories of school violence vary globally, direct school violence remains a significant concern (UNESCO, 2024). This can threaten safety and well-being among the school community, impede students’ capacity to learn, and compromise schools as peaceful spaces. Even if direct violence is absent, educational systems may militate against the sustainable, positive peace described by Galtung (1969, 1990). Galtung’s positive peace requires the absence of structural and cultural violence – that is, inequalities of power, life chances and resources (which Galtung also terms ‘social injustice’) that are embedded and legitimized within the prevailing culture (Galtung, 1969, 1990). Shaped by societal norms, as well as developing their own relational and power dynamics, educational institutions are “deeply implicated in the reproduction of intersecting regimes of inequality” (Paulson and Tikly, 2023, p.772) that impede the development of positive peace. Applying Galtung’s theory of positive and negative peace as a lens will allow us to explore different contexts by allowing room for connections and also disparities, which present the uniqueness of each context. While Galtung’s theory provides a main framework, our research provides a deeper analysis of how this can be applied in practice Greater emphasis is placed on what research findings reveal about local experiences of integrating peace education in practice.

The first paper , “Promoting peace and stability in schools: Positive peace education in Kazakhstan,” delves into the complex geopolitical landscape of Kazakhstan that puts peace in the centre of its multivector policy. Drawing on an ongoing large-scale research project, including action research projects, school observations, teacher reflection notes, and post-project interviews, this paper argues that schools as hubs of civil society can serve as sites for constructively promoting peace and stability, integrating culturally relevant positive peace education within and beyond their specific institutional contexts. This study contributes to the symposium's theme by illustrating how abstract theoretical frameworks can be translated into locally relevant pedagogical practices in a multiethnic context. It also offers insights to educators and policymakers looking for ways of embedding peacebuilding within formal education systems globally.

The second paper, “Peace education practice in India: Conceptualisation, implementation, and resource mobilisation,” continues the theme of diversity and localisation through shifting the focus to peace research in India and the work of various fpractitioners, researchers and stakeholders apply peace within India’s diverse contexts. Using in-depth interviews and participatory workshops, this paper explores how practitioners navigate between theoretical frameworks and practical realities and develop contextually responsive approaches to peace education. This contribution broadens the symposium’s scope by looking into practitioner perspectives across India’s diverse regional and cultural contexts. The research aims to understand how peace educators actively reinterpret theoretical frameworks of peace, including Galtung’s, through lived experiences and local knowledge, and how they navigate persistent challenges around institutional support and resource mobilisation. It focuses on implementation realities rather than policy frameworks and aims to demonstrate how peace education concepts are transformed through practice. It offers insights into building sustainable approaches within resource-constrained postcolonial environments.

The final presentation, “Challenging epistemic violence and building peace in school communities,” builds on previous work highlighting the usefulness of the concept of epistemic violence to understanding how structural and cultural violence are sustained through education (Paulson and Tikly, 2023). Drawing on interviews with migrant families and educationalists in Northern Ireland, this paper explores how, and with what impact, epistemic violence is enacted in everyday school spaces. Importantly, it also identifies where epistemic violence is resisted or redressed, and considers how these moments can destabilise hierarchies of knowledge that marginalise non-dominant groups. This case study adds a vital dimension to the symposium by examining how epistemic violence can extend Galtung’s original concepts of structural and cultural violence.

The symposium's synergy is rooted in its focus on the lived experience of peace and violence within educational contexts, moving beyond grand theory to explore practical, contextually driven approaches. By examining schools as crucial sites for peacebuilding, the presentations offer a multi-dimensional view of how positive peace is either cultivated or inhibited. By placing these cases in dialogue, the panel will demonstrate the dynamic and multifaceted nature of Galtung's framework. The papers are in direct dialogue, providing a comparative analysis of top-down and bottom-up peace initiatives and the challenges they encounter. The collective analysis will highlight that there is no singular path to peace and that the challenges vary depending on whether the society is emerging from direct violence, contending with deep-seated historical injustices, or operating under an authoritarian regime. This comparative approach provides a unique and holistic understanding of peacebuilding processes.

References

Galtung, J. (1969). Violence, peace, and peace research. Journal of peace research, 6(3), 167-191.

Galtung, J. (1990). Cultural violence. Journal of Peace Research, 27(3), 291–305.
Paulson, J. and Tikly, L. (2023). Reconceptualizing violence in international and comparative education: Revisiting Galtung’s framework. Comparative Education Review, 67(4), 771-796.

UNESCO. (2024). Safe to learn and thrive: Ending violence in and
through education. Paris: UNESCO. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000391797

Van Manen, M. (2023). Phenomenology of practice: Meaning-giving methods in phenomenological research and writing. Routledge.

Sub Unit

• General Pool

Organizer

• Assylzhan Ospanbek, Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge

Chair

• Rebecca Loader, Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge

Individual Presentations

• Challenging epistemic violence and building peace in school communities - Rebecca Loader, Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge

• Peace education practice in India: Conceptualisation, implementation, and resource mobilisation - Abhishek Dharmesh Vyas, Brunel University London

• Promoting peace and stability in schools: Positive peace education in Kazakhstan - Lynne Parmenter, University of Canterbury; Assylzhan Ospanbek, Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge; Assemgul Bukutova; Aizat Arystanbek; Nuraiym Seitova, Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Education, Astana, Republic of Kazakhstan; Gulbagira Toleu, Nazarbayev University; Nazarbayev Intellectual schools

Discussant

• Hilary Cremin, University of Cambridge Faculty of Education