Teaching towards peace. The role of education-based civil society programmes on peacebuilding processes in Cyprus
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2019-04-30
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en
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In which ways can educational programmes based on the concept of intergenerational closure help to make a societal change towards a culture of peace? The division of Cyprus has lasted since 1974 and peace negotiations have been on hold since July 2017. The last solution plan was rejected and the United Nations Peace-keeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) is the longest-running UN peace mission ever. The national anti-reconciliation feelings have resulted in very nationalistic formal education systems on both sides of the divide, and also create contradicting feelings about the ‘other’ within each community. However, education-based civil society programmes on peacebuilding are increasing their impact. A bigger involvement of civil society in peacebuilding is a worldwide tendency, but civil society in Cyprus is struggling because of a lack of national recognition and opposing national political directions. To overcome misconceptions about the ‘other’ within and between the two communities, this research combined the idea of peacebuilding education with intergenerational closure. Intergenerational closure is based on the idea of interaction between different generations that otherwise won’t meet each other. This can contribute to, amongst others, the development of new relationships, cooperation between different community groups, and diminished stereotypes about each other
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen