Peace Education in Societies Involved in Intractable Conflicts: Direct and Indirect Models

TLDR

Intractable conflicts still rage worldwide, causing local misery and threatening the well‑being of the international community. The article investigates whether peace education can transform the sociopsychological infrastructure that sustains intractable conflict and how such change can be achieved in societies involved in such conflicts. It outlines the political–societal and educational conditions required for successful peace‑education implementation and describes two models—direct and indirect—of peace education. The article concludes that peace education can facilitate change in sociopsychological infrastructure and provides conditions and models for its implementation.

Abstract

The present article deals with the crucial question: Can peace education facilitate change in the sociopsychological infrastructure that feeds continued intractable conflict and then how the change can be carried? Intractable conflicts still rage in various parts of the globe, and they not only cause local misery and suffering but also threaten the well-being of the international community at large. The present article examines the nature of peace education in societies that were, or are still, involved in intractable conflict. It presents the political–societal and educational conditions for successful implementation of peace education and describes two models for peace education: direct and indirect peace education. Finally, the article offers a number of conclusions.