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Making or Breaking the Peace: The Role of Schools in Inter-Ethnic Peace Making

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Peace Psychology in the Balkans

Part of the book series: Peace Psychology Book Series ((PPBS))

Abstract

This chapter discusses the role that schools play in mitigating inter-ethnic tensions, with special reference to the Balkan conflicts (1991–1999), and the decade of fragile re-integration that followed them. The paper explores the role education can play in creating the conditions for inter-ethnic conflict; the responsibility of schools as places of reason, comfort and stability during the conflict; and the place of curriculum and pedagogy in either reproducing or reframing the narratives and myths that can lead to inter-ethnic peace making or trans-generational reproduction of the conditions for further conflict. The paper draws on relevant peace- and social psychology concepts such as ethnic distance, segregation and discrimination, negative and positive peace, stress coping strategies, and child psychology concepts to explain the power of school -sanctioned narratives in explaining ethnicity and conflict to children of impressionable age. Multi-ethnic primary schools in the former Yugoslavia are used to provide the historical context of episodic and structural violence and peace building attempts, for this conceptual paper.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    We draw on our study of teacher narratives about conflict and other ethnic groups, and gratefully acknowledge the generous support of the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada for this multidisciplinary research in three jurisdictions of the Former Yugoslavia: Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB, Canada

    W. Duffie VanBalkom

  2. Rumenacka 130/22, 21000, Novi Sad, Serbia

    Mirjana Beara

Authors
  1. W. Duffie VanBalkom
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  2. Mirjana Beara
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Correspondence to W. Duffie VanBalkom .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Griffith University, Griffith Law School, Gold Coast, 4222, Queensland, Australia

    Olivera Simić

  2. , School of Journalism and Communication, University of Queensland, --, Brisbane, 4072, Australia

    Zala Volčič

  3. , School of Psychology, University of Queensland, McElwain Building, St. Lucia, 4072, Queensland, Australia

    Catherine R. Philpot

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VanBalkom, W.D., Beara, M. (2012). Making or Breaking the Peace: The Role of Schools in Inter-Ethnic Peace Making. In: Simić, O., Volčič, Z., Philpot, C. (eds) Peace Psychology in the Balkans. Peace Psychology Book Series. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-1948-8_5

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