A Cross-Disciplinary Study of Early Childhood Development and Peacebuilding: New Conceptualizations of Early Childhood for Global Sustainable Development

Abstract

The intersection between Early Childhood Development (ECD), peacebuilding, and sustainable development is a complex and newly emerging area of research in the cross-disciplinary field of early childhood and international development. This paper is important for its contribution to the developing knowledge-base in its conceptualizations of the role of young children in the promotion of social cohesion and peaceful societies. It begins by discussing the increasingly high profile of ECD in the global advocacy for building sustainable development. The discussion presents a multidimensional conceptualization of early childhood that is rooted in a wider social justice and human rights agenda and encapsulated in an ecological framework that depicts the intrinsic relationship between the child, family, community, and wider society. The findings reveal the potential linkages between ECD and young children's role in fostering peace as conceptualized in three interrelated paradigms -a rights-based, participatory, and pedagogical approach. The paper argues for the importance of advancing further research to foster greater understanding of the connections between children and peacebuilding especially in the context of fragile and conflictaffected countries.