Pictured: Larisa Kasumagić-Kafedžić speaking about peace teaching. PHOTO CREDIT: Lauren Drapeau | Contributing Reporter
Larisa Kasumagić-Kafedžić of Cornell University delivered a lecture on Friday, March 31 at the University of Rhode Island about the implementation of peace pedagogy, or peace teaching, into formal education.
During the event, hosted by the Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies, Kasumagić-Kafedžić explained her geopolitical origin from what was formerly Yugoslavia and now stands as Bosnia and Herzegovina, and how it shaped her view of the role of peace studies within a religious and ethnically divided country. She has been involved in the field of peace teaching for 30 years, beginning with peace activism around the age of 18 before her English language degree allowed her to develop her studies further.
Peace pedagogy first emerged in literature after World War II, according to Dr. Kasumagić-Kafedžić, as a method of practice and teaching that promotes peace education.
“Peace education is to a great extent related to developing analytical thinking, critical media literacy and civic citizenship and the presence of this peace quality we want to see in students,” she said.
Primarily working to translate English literature to Bosnian students, Kasumagić-Kafedžić faces challenges in educational institutions of a post-conflict world. She spoke of her teaching experience in Bosnia and Herzegovina, explaining that teachers wish to infuse new ideals and values, yet the prescribed textbooks and contradictions to the official politics complicate this.
“Individualizing and humanizing the experiences of people and experiences of different sides of conflict is never provided from the curriculum,” Kasumagić-Kafedžić said. “War is always seen as an integral part of life, so there is no mention of peace and nonviolence initiatives to counteract something that has been dominating the histories of the regions.”
In regards to education in the United States, Kasumagić-Kafedžić said there are issues with root causes in textbooks, and how there are current discussions about the legacies of indigenous cultures and how they should be integrated into curriculums.
She provided a statistic that 27% of students with immigrant backgrounds do not feel visible in the classrooms, opening the discussion of teachers lacking certain preparation to adhere to culturally sensitive teaching practices which can be done through the individualization of peace pedagogy in institutions.
She stated that Cornell recently began acknowledging their land possession from native cultures, encouraging the audience to think about how history is represented at their own educational institutions.
“This is another challenge between prose in education to tackle the issues of stereotypes and prejudice indirectly through language education to get to better understanding how these are played out in society,” Kasumagić-Kafedžić said.
Kasumagić-Kafedžić also spoke about the current gun violence issue in the U.S. and the narrative this creates in advocating for peace.
“This is the most heartbreaking reality I have faced,” Kasumagić-Kafedžić said.
She proposed that universities begin prioritizing the humanities to the same degree as STEM curricula, stating that students are viewing humanities as “less profitable” and to be aware of the messages sent out about the role of peace education.
Any instance of violent events has a broader impact on schools, and she stated that as an institution of power, we have the ability to break down these cycles of violence instead of existing as an accomplice. In order to do this, it becomes important to introduce and challenge students to think with more peaceful strategies to address issues of conflict.
“Peace-building can increase resilience in communities and provide valuable opportunities to rebuild, heal, and grow,” Kasumagić-Kafedžić said, clarifying that this needs to be accomplished from an institutional approach to combat societal issues and social injustices to establish sustainable peace.
The Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies ultimately works to combat the issues on which Kasumagić-Kafedžić delivered her lecture, bringing together a global community of scholars to discuss relevant and contemporary issues. Students can contact the center at (401) 874-2875 to offer their support and get involved.