Peace building: An Educational Approach

Peace education is aimed at teaching individuals the information, attitudes, values, and behavioral competencies needed to resolve conflicts without violence and to build and maintain mutually beneficial, harmonious relationships. There are many approaches to peace education, many of which are based on ideology, practical experience, and good intentions. What is lacking is peace education programs based on theories validated by research that can be operationalized into practical procedures. Three interrelated theories underlie effective peace education: social interdependence theory (dealing with the nature of cooperation and competition), constructive controversy theory (dealing with political discourse and creative problem solving), and integrative negotiations theory (dealing with mutually beneficial agreements). There is considerable research validating these theories, and each has been operationalized into a practical procedures. It is the combination of moving from competitive to cooperative relationships among disputants, in which political discourse and creative problem solving takes place and mutually beneficial agreements are established and maintained, that consensual peace is established and maintained. Creating an effective peace education program, therefore, involves five steps. First, a compulsory public education system must be established in which students from the previously conflicting groups interact and have the opportunity to build positive relationships with each other. Second, cooperative experiences need to occur that highlight mutual goals, the just distribution of benefits from achieving the goals, and a joint identity. Third, students must be taught the constructive controversy procedure to ensure that they know how to make difficult decisions and engage in political discourse. Fourth, students must be taught how to engage in integrative negotiations and peer mediation to resolve their conflicts of interests constructively. Finally, civic values must be inculcated that focus students on the long-term common good of society.