Peace Education in Fragile States, a case study of the influence of global discussions of peace education in conflict settings on national education policy and local NGO efforts in Afghanistan.
Robiolle-Moul, Tina.
2016
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Abstract: This dissertation assesses the influence of international
standards and guidance on peace education on education policy and practice at the national
and local levels in a fragile state. It also explores the critical factors that affect
this influence—or the lack thereof. Utilizing a vertical case study approach that
draws comparisons across multipl... read moree levels, this research examines the case of Afghanistan
from 2002 to 2015. The author explored the origins and content of these recommendations at
the global level, investigated their influence at the national level, and assessed what
then is implemented at the local level through the work of a local non-governmental
organization (NGO). While there has been a growing presence of peace education in
international recommendations and instruments promulgated by the United Nations, this
study demonstrates how challenging it is for the international community to coordinate and
harmonize its discourse on peace education—let alone to influence significantly a
fragile state's national education policy and practice. The international community's
recommendations on peace education had only a limited influence on the Afghan government's
education policy and practice. At the local level, the global recommendations did
influence the work of a local Afghan NGO, Help the Afghan Children, and its peace
education program launched in 2002. The success of this program has triggered the interest
of the Ministry in developing and testing a national school-based peace education
curriculum that could be taught in all government schools in the country. However, the
lack of resources and political will represent a great obstacle for the program to be
scaled up at the national level. Overall, this vertical study underlined different
potentials for the integration of peace education in schools at the national versus the
local level. As a critical case, Afghanistan provided sufficient positive conditions to
implement some global recommendations on peace education, despite the complexity of the
local context. The critical factors that explain the limits of this influence are not
specific to Afghanistan and can be found in other fragile states. If they are not
addressed, the international community will face similar obstacles to the integration of
peace education in other fragile states.
Thesis (Ph.D.)--Tufts University, 2016.
Submitted to the Dept. of Diplomacy, History, and Politics.
Advisor: Eileen Babbitt.
Committee: Ian Johnstone, and Monisha Bajaj.
Keywords: Peace studies, International relations, and Education.read less - ID:
- 37720r225
- Component ID:
- tufts:20526
- To Cite:
- DCA Citation Guide EndNote
