Teaching for democracy in the absence of transitional justice: the case of Northern Ireland

Abstract

In Northern Ireland, the 1998 Good Friday Agreement ended thirty years of civil conflictknown as 'the Troubles'-by achieving nominal peace between the opposing factions. It did so, however, through a political power-sharing formula that had no provisions for state-sponsored transitional justice mechanisms. We ask to what extent education can promote the goals of transitional justice in the absence of a formal process. Drawing from qualitative data and using a new citizenship education programme in Northern Ireland as our case study, we argue that organizational constraints within the education system limit the potential of the programme. We also identify missed opportunities, such as the de-emphasis on the importance of teaching political literacy. Our findings have implications for other societies undergoing transition from violent conflict by highlighting the potential opportunities for citizenship education to aid in transitional justice efforts.

Seeking equilibrium between a social justice and a charity stance towards global learning among Northern Ireland pupils

“…Wider understanding of the implications of world problems seemed evident in Year 3, with greater emphasis on potential outcomes and awareness of shortand longer-term solutions, all characteristic of increased knowledge and deeper thought. Pupils in all six schools learned about global learning through thematic units, discrete subjects and charitable events within and beyond school, all instigated and implemented by teachers with their noted influence on children (Gorard, 2011;Worden and Smith, 2017). However, there were numerous outside sources -families, friends, social media -and the part played by celebrities (Lim and Moufahim, 2015), mostly charity-related.…”

“…Therefore, it sought to find a place in a curriculum where the terminology of its most relevant component was out of step with that of the programme itself, and where no new revision is forthcoming. Worden and Smith (2017) noted two further key issues, namely, finding space and securing status for local and global citizenship in the already crowded NIC where traditional academic subjects such as history and geography (which each include substantial overlap with the local and global citizenship curriculum, respectively) are given precedence.…”

The role of school curriculum in sustainable peace-building: The case of Sri Lanka

“…It is questionable whether it is possible to separate education for democratic citizenship from teaching directly about the contested past. Enlarging citizenship to include global issues and themes might provide educators with convenient cover for avoiding local controversial issues as it is safer to draw lessons from human rights abuses elsewhere than from those in one’s own country (Worden and Smith, 2017).…”

Lessons learned from 10 years of citizenship education in Northern Ireland: A critical analysis of curriculum change

“…Based on common values of pluralism, tolerance and non-discrimination, it was apparent that, in divided societies emerging from conflict, notions of identity and nationhood were profoundly problematic, necessitating a conceptual interpretation of citizenship grounded in wider universal principles (Niens et al, 2013). As a tool to foster democratic engagement, citizenship education holds particular relevance during times of political and social transition (Worden and Smith, 2017). In these circumstances, the need for a critically informed, politically literate citizenry is integral to genuine social cohesion where '… the teaching of citizenship needs to be supplemented with a more in-depth understanding of the ways in which young people actually learn in the communities and practices that make up their everyday lives' (Pontes et al, 2019, p. 17).…”