Description
Abstract:
After decades of ethnic conflict which destroyed the social, economic and environmental fabric, Sri Lanka is investing in a sustainable peacebuilding education programme. While most Sri Lankan government partnerships focus on introducing peace education programmes in secondary schools, little evidence is available about partnerships on peace education programmes at the higher education level.
The Sri Lankan post-conflict context is characterised by increased state surveillance, security concerns, and self-censorship, presenting faculty members with additional tensions to navigate in peace education instruction. In this environment, faculty members have played an important role in delivering peace education programmes. However, Sri Lankan governments and empirical research have largely ignored this area, a gap this presentation addresses. The presentation is based on a study that employs a critical peace education model that questions societal power dynamics and indigenous meanings, and encourages inclusivity to position the Sri Lankan peace education context within wider theoretical approaches. The study draws on 32 semi-structured interviews, documentary evidence, and memos from the data collection and analysis stages.
A range of influences are highlighted that direct faculty members understandings, which are rooted in western peace education theory, and Sri Lankan perspectives such as religion, history, culture, and personal transformation stories. Furthermore, the study chronicles how these understandings can guide classroom instruction through indigenous, traditional, collaboratively based innovative pedagogical approaches to support long-term peacebuilding efforts. This presentation provides key insights related to the roles higher education can play in shaping peacebuilding policy and practice in Sri Lanka and beyond.
