The 2016 US Presidential Elections and Beyond – Peace Education for Nonviolent Resistance

Abstract

It is not uncommon for many people in the United States to apologise for the outcome of the 2016 presidential election . Honestly, I do not think I should do that, since that would mean that I somehow accept the results as part of some failure or error, when in fact we have had warning signs of socio-political developments all along. I will admit that, although I did not expect the result, instead of apologising, I have committed myself to resist and not allow the Trump agenda to be normalised. Trump has made multiple campaign promises – promises that, if kept, will harm the planet , Muslims, Blacks, immigrants, women , the poor, etc. As an educated white male with a job , I can buffer a lot of that – except for the consequences of climate change and nuclear war . If I remain silent, I will be complicit. So, I will not. What I am offering are some reflections on the connection of the notion of resistance to peace education . The context of these comments is the election and the aftermath. I have reviewed a lot of new literature that came out of the realm of peace education . I want to highlight a few, where I think we can meaningfully merge peace education and resistance.

Patrick T. Hiller, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor at Portland State University, USA and Executive Director of the War Prevention Initiative by the Jubitz Family Foundation, Portland, Oregon. Email: pthiller@gmail.com.