Presented at the CPERG 2015 International Seminar, University of Cambridge, 23-25 September, 2015
This paper takes a fresh look at the status of peacebuilding through education in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The increasing social unrest witnessed in Bosnia since February 2014 has raised new questions about the [potential] role of education in shaping Bosnia’s post-war trajectory and still elusive peace and reconciliation. Drawing on recent cross-sectoral research into education policies and practices among education authorities in Federation BiH and Republika Srpska, teacher training colleges and secondary schools in Sarajevo, Banja Luka and Mostar, as well as international and local educational NGOs active in the country, it will argue that significant, if fragile, peacebuilding progress is being made at the level of both educational structures and individual practices. It will also argue that there are important generational shifts taking place in attitudes towards conflict and peace in the country, which presents both an opportunity and a threat to the country’s future. In the course of this analysis, the paper will problematize Bosnia’s reputation as a post-conflict, post-socialist, ethnically-divided society, with a politically apathetic citizenry.
This paper takes a fresh look at the status of peacebuilding through education in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The increasing social unrest witnessed in Bosnia since February 2014 has raised new questions about the [potential] role of education in shaping Bosnia’s post-war trajectory and still elusive peace and reconciliation. Drawing on recent cross-sectoral research into education policies and practices among education authorities in Federation BiH and Republika Srpska, teacher training colleges and secondary schools in Sarajevo, Banja Luka and Mostar, as well as international and local educational NGOs active in the country, it will argue that significant, if fragile, peacebuilding progress is being made at the level of both educational structures and individual practices. It will also argue that there are important generational shifts taking place in attitudes towards conflict and peace in the country, which presents both an opportunity and a threat to the country’s future. In the course of this analysis, the paper will problematize Bosnia’s reputation as a post-conflict, post-socialist, ethnically-divided society, with a politically apathetic citizenry.