Papers by Mieke T.A. Lopes Cardozo
International Journal of Educational Development
Sustainable Peacebuilding and Social Justice in Times of Transition
Journal on Education in Emergencies, 2022
Media coverage and foreign policy around the globe often spread messages of fear about the possib... more Media coverage and foreign policy around the globe often spread messages of fear about the possible radicalization of the world's growing youth population. More nuance was brought into these debates in 2015 by UN Security Council Resolution 2250 and the subsequent Global Study on Youth, Peace, and Security (Simpson 2018), while specific attention was directed at the potential of education to support young people's agency for peacebuilding. In this reflective piece, I aim to bring a fresh perspective to current education in emergencies thinking and offer insights into how a regenerative approach to education can help reshape it to prepare the younger generations to respond effectively to peacebuilding and to the related "wicked challenges." I bring together two existing conceptual frameworks—the 4Rs (Novelli, Lopes Cardozo, and Smith 2017) and Tomaševski's 4As (2005; see also Shah and Lopes Cardozo 2019)—that are directly relevant to the education in emergencies...
Sustainable Peacebuilding and Social Justice in Times of Transition, 2018
Sustainable Peacebuilding and Social Justice in Times of Transition, 2018
Within the field of educational aid to conflict affected states the Dutch are widely seen as play... more Within the field of educational aid to conflict affected states the Dutch are widely seen as playing an important leadership role, both in terms of their funding commitment, their receptivity and support for educational interventions in conflicts, and for their innovation in developing new funding mechanisms to deliver aid to conflict affected countries. This background paper analyses the role of a range of departments within the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) that are involved in the area, the most important one being the Social Development Department (DSO), followed by the Peace Building and Stabilisation Unit (EFV) and the humanitarian aid department (DMH/HH). We also include the role of UNICEF and Save the Children as being influential multilateral and nongovernmental actors and recipients of Dutch financing, and we provide some initial insights into the role the Ministry of Defence.
This paper lays out a theoretical and analytical framework for researching and reflecting on the ... more This paper lays out a theoretical and analytical framework for researching and reflecting on the peacebuilding role of education in conflict-affected contexts. The 4Rs framework recognizes that working toward “positive peace” (Galtung 1976, 1990) requires working toward peace with social justice and reconciliation, challenging dominant “security-first” and “liberal peace” models, and gaining a better understanding of how education might support these processes in building sustainable and peaceful postconflict societies. The 4Rs framework combines dimensions of recognition, redistribution, representation, and reconciliation to explore what sustainable peacebuilding might look like through a social justice lens. The paper addresses the cultural translation of these concepts, highlighting the need for locally embedded interpretations. Rather than a fixed theoretical model, the 4Rs approach is designed as a heuristic device that promotes a dialogue among key stakeholders on the dilemmas...
This article seeks to explore the 'two faces of education' (Bush and Saltarelli, 2000) through a ... more This article seeks to explore the 'two faces of education' (Bush and Saltarelli, 2000) through a critical analysis of peace education in Sri Lanka. It aims to contribute to the wider debate on the complex role of education in situations of conflict. The article starts with an overview of what peace education is, or should be. This leads to the conclusion that peace education cannot succeed in isolation, and needs to be incorporated in a multilevel process of peacebuilding. Further analysis draws from Bush and Saltarelli's notion of the 'two faces of education', combined with Lynn Davies' notion of 'war education' (2004) and her typology of 'how war and peace are taught' (2006). These works help to explain to what extent (peace) education in Sri Lanka contributes to positive or negative conflict; or in other words, which one of the two 'faces' is most prominent. The positive side of education is employed through inter-group encounters, the stimulation of self esteem and a 'peaceful school environment'. Through dialogue and understanding, these initiatives stimulate a desegregation of a very segregated school system and society. However, these positive initiatives remain limited. Other, more structural issues, tend to work towards the negative face of education, by fostering segregation, fear and bias rather than counteracting them. Examples of this negative face of education are, for instance, the strongly segregated school system, the lack of bilingual education in practice, culturally exclusive teaching material and a lack of critical awareness and open dialogue. These issues form pressing challenges for peace educators and policy makers in Sri Lanka. Critically informed research and evaluation should provide guidelines for well-thought through peace education initiatives, by working towards a combination of critical theory and problem-solving approaches to deliver both critical and hands-on guidelines for further peace education initiatives.
Too many parts of the world are suffering from conflict and its repercussions. Millions of childr... more Too many parts of the world are suffering from conflict and its repercussions. Millions of children and young people are at risk of not reaching their full potential. Before more decades of development efforts are undone and future progress is blocked, it is a moral obligation of society to collectively find ways to foster social cohesion among communities, resilience in systems and individuals, and a sense of security in daily lives. The Learning for Peace programme attempted to do just that. This Peacebuilding, Education and Advocacy in Conflict-Affected Contexts (PBEA) Programme Report summarizes processes, results and learning that occurred during the entire course of the PBEA programme--Learning for Peace--from 1 December 2011 through 30 June 2016. It draws extensively on reports produced by the 14 participating UNICEF country offices, five regional offices, a total of nine headquarters sections, units or divisions, and partners engaged in the programme. These documents were sy...
Global Education Policy and International Development : New Agendas, Issues and Policies
This paper seeks to understand the rising tide of interest and action in the area of education an... more This paper seeks to understand the rising tide of interest and action in the area of education and conflict by the international donor and development community since 2000, and to hone in on one key bilateral donor, the Netherlands. In line with the book's overall objective we are seeking to understand how a global education and conflict agenda emerged within the field of international education and development and the role of Dutch aid to education within this process. While much contemporary research has been done relating to the transfer of ideas and policies and the role of the World Bank, the IMF and other powerful agencies, from various perspectives (Cammack 2004, 2007), less is written about the role of smaller bilateral donors in these processes, either as catalysts for the spread of the global education agenda or as mediators. On this issue we draw insights from the potential differences between US and European interests, and consequently their approaches on the international stage, and theoretical debates on whether tensions can best be understood through triadic understandings of global politics (Asia, Europe, USA); bipolar (North versus South) or class factions and the rise of a
Sustainable Peacebuilding and Social Justice in Times of Transition, 2018
in the chapters in this volume were inspired by both the strategic relational approach (SRA, Sum ... more in the chapters in this volume were inspired by both the strategic relational approach (SRA, Sum and Jessop 2013) and a Critical Cultural Political Economy of Education approach (CCPEE, Roberston and Dale 2015). This section also outlines the rationale for a mostly qualitative and exploratory nature of our data collection processes. Finally, the chapter briefly outlines the key ethical considerations of anonymity and consent in the conflict-affected context of Myanmar.
Gender and Education, 2018
Our research responds to a limited understanding of the agency of female leaders in a context of ... more Our research responds to a limited understanding of the agency of female leaders in a context of Islamic politics and society, in postwar and post-tsunami Aceh province in Indonesia. Drawing on empirical ethnographic data, we aim to provide a more nuanced perspective on the 'strategic space for manouevre' of women's agency in Islamic boarding schools in Aceh. Our paper focuses on female educational leaders and teachers at female dayah, or Islamic boarding schools [for girls] in Aceh. The study explores the grassroots roles and motivations of female education leaders, and analyses how a range of contextual (political, economic, sociocultural and religious) factors play a role in their sense of agency and engagement in (re)producing or challenging societal inequalities and tensions. These factors include women's own experiences of the conflict and post-conflict period, the influences from their direct networks and kinship, and their opportunities to participate in 'outside' trainings and public life.
Research in Comparative and International Education, 2017
This paper explores the possibilities and challenges for ethno-religious reconciliation through s... more This paper explores the possibilities and challenges for ethno-religious reconciliation through secondary school education in post-war Sri Lanka, with a specific focus on the Muslim and Tamil communities in the Northern city of Jaffna. In doing so, we position our paper within the growing field of ‘education, conflict and emergencies’ of which there has been a growing body of literature discussing this contentious relationship. The paper draws from an interdisciplinary and critical theoretical framework that aims to analyse the role of education for peacebuilding, through a multi-scalar application of four interconnected dimensions of social justice: redistribution, recognition, representation and reconciliation (or 4 R’s, Novelli, Lopes Cardozo and Smith, 2015). We apply this framework to interpret primary data collected through an ethnographic study of two under-studied communities that have been disproportionately affected by the 1983 to 2009 civil war and displacement: the North...
Globalisation, Societies and Education, 2016
This paper explores the challenging situation faced by teachers as professionals and members of t... more This paper explores the challenging situation faced by teachers as professionals and members of the community in Aceh, Indonesia during the province's civil war. It reveals how teachers' sense of agency during this period was deeply influenced by the economic/material, political and socio-cultural condition at that timeconditions and experiences which today have bearing on a place for teachers in the post-conflict peace-building process occurring in the province. During the conflict, teachers struggled to balance their strategic societal positioningas civil servants and community membersand found themselves caught in the middle of a complex range of hegemonic and counter-hegemonic forces at play. This position of constraint, we argue, limited the ability of teachers to act as peace-builders during the conflict, and continues to influence teachers' ability to function in such ways today.
Fontes Artis Musicae, 2009
Within the field of educational aid to conflict affected states the Dutch are widely seen as play... more Within the field of educational aid to conflict affected states the Dutch are widely seen as playing an important leadership role, both in terms of their funding commitment, their receptivity and support for educational interventions in conflicts, and for their innovation in developing new funding mechanisms to deliver aid to conflict affected countries. This background paper analyses the role of a range of departments within the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) that are involved in the area, the most important one being the Social Development Department (DSO), followed by the Peace Building and Stabilisation Unit (EFV) and the humanitarian aid department (DMH/HH). We also include the role of UNICEF and Save the Children as being influential multilateral and nongovernmental actors and recipients of Dutch financing, and we provide some initial insights into the role the Ministry of Defence.
European Journal of Development Research, 2015
Historically, Bolivian society and education system are characterised by marginalisation based on... more Historically, Bolivian society and education system are characterised by marginalisation based on poverty, ethnicity and gender. The central objective of the Morales government is to redress this imbalance and create a society inclusive of all Bolivians so that they can 'live well'. Our paper illustrates how, whilst the international development agenda sees gender equality as an important element for an egalitarian education system, the latest Bolivian education reform gives gender equality diminished importance in favour of the focus on interculturality. Applying an analytical framework that uses social justice theory and a strategic relational approach, this paper explores the agency of teachers to effect social change in relation to gender inequalities in Bolivia. Our research approach is embedded within the interdisciplinary field of international development studies and used mostly qualitative techniques to examine teachers' strategies to act towards gender equality.
The Contested Role of Education in Conflict and Fragility, 2015
Journal of Peace Education, 2014
This paper aims to explore the agency of teachers for peacebuilding education in Sri Lanka throug... more This paper aims to explore the agency of teachers for peacebuilding education in Sri Lanka through a critical multiscalar analysis of the interplay between context education policies and governanceand agentteachers as strategic political actors. It draws on two studies conducted in Sri Lanka in 2006 and 2011 to give insight into a changing context from conflict to post-conflict. While peace education and social cohesion were high on the political agendas before the official ending of the conflict, the need for a continuous and integral peace education approach seems to be losing political ground in present-day Sri Lanka. The paper seeks to contribute to the broader debate on the complex role of education and teachers in conflict and post-conflict situations.
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Papers by Mieke T.A. Lopes Cardozo