School Leaders' and Teachers' Understandings of "Forgiveness" and "Reconciliation" in a Conflict-Affected Community in Colombia

• In Event: Looking for Peace in Educational Programs and Initiatives: Global Experiences

Abstract

This paper synthesizes the results of an interpretative study that aimed to explore how a group of school leaders and teachers in a conflict-affected community in Colombia understand the ethical and pedagogical possibilities and limitations of engaging with 'forgiveness' and 'reconciliation'. It argues that the participants’ conceptual, contextual and educational understandings nuance dominant theorizations of 'forgiveness' and 'reconciliation' in traumatized societies, which have been predominantly based in societies characterized by sharp “Us” vs. “Them” narratives along ethnic and/or religious lines. Identifying the influence of Christian, psychological, and political discourses on the participants’ understandings, this paper suggest that schools in Colombia may address 'forgiveness' and 'reconciliation' as part of the vocabulary of transitional justice that communities should critically reflect on.

Author

• Juana Yunis, University of Cambridge