MPhil Thesis, University of Cambridge, Faculty of Education
Submitted: 16 July 2012 (passed with distinction)
Supervisor: Professor Madeleine Arnot
Educational contributions to post-conflict intergroup reconciliation are under-researched. Especially lacking are insights into the role of teachers as intermediaries between peace education theory and practice. This exploratory case study investigates the perspectives and experiences of peace educators in Bosnia-Herzegovina who are themselves survivors of 1992-1995 war which was characterized by brutal inter-ethnic violence. Employing semi-structured interviews within an interpretive phenomenological methodology, this study seeks to understand the lived experiences of eight ethnically Bosniak, Croat and Serb peace educators, and to define the psychosocial, political and educational factors that shape, facilitate and delimit their engagement with intergroup reconciliation. Identifying four perceived challenges and four perceived impacts of the peace education work in Bosnia-Herzegovina, this research sheds light on the complex ways in which peace educators’ personal and social identities intertwine with the wider socio-political environment as they pursue peace, intergroup reconciliation, and healing. Implications of the study and suggestions for future research are discussed.
Submitted: 16 July 2012 (passed with distinction)
Supervisor: Professor Madeleine Arnot
Educational contributions to post-conflict intergroup reconciliation are under-researched. Especially lacking are insights into the role of teachers as intermediaries between peace education theory and practice. This exploratory case study investigates the perspectives and experiences of peace educators in Bosnia-Herzegovina who are themselves survivors of 1992-1995 war which was characterized by brutal inter-ethnic violence. Employing semi-structured interviews within an interpretive phenomenological methodology, this study seeks to understand the lived experiences of eight ethnically Bosniak, Croat and Serb peace educators, and to define the psychosocial, political and educational factors that shape, facilitate and delimit their engagement with intergroup reconciliation. Identifying four perceived challenges and four perceived impacts of the peace education work in Bosnia-Herzegovina, this research sheds light on the complex ways in which peace educators’ personal and social identities intertwine with the wider socio-political environment as they pursue peace, intergroup reconciliation, and healing. Implications of the study and suggestions for future research are discussed.