Higher education as a tool of peacebuilding and decolonization: Ukrainian case and global perspective.

Details
Category: Uncategorised

authors: Denys Svyrydenko, Chengzhang Zou, Weizhen Gao

Urgency of the research. The current postcolonial situation of Ukraine demonstrates the unexposed potential of higher education at the processes of society development on the principles of peace and cultural development.

Target setting. Authors understand that peace-building through higher education could be actualized now only by realization of tolerance and pacification principles at social practice, but also by development of students’ critical thinking level as a propaganda prevention tool. Ukrainian higher education should help student to interpret cultural and political situation at contemporary global world at the context of learning of the basic courses (Political Studies, History, etc.). The authors want to share their academic achievements globally understanding current Ukrainian conflict situation as a heuristic case for the researches at the field of educational peace-building and de-colonization.

Actual scientific researches and issues analysis. There are some researches that discuss contemporary cultural situation in Ukraine and role of higher education in one’s problems solving (O. Bazaluk, O. Kyvliuk, L. Savenkova, D. Svyrydenko, etc.). The second block of publications contains the inter-national experience of educational peace-building and de-colonization (H. Behr , Z. Bekerman, H. Danesh, L. Geerlings, J. Lavia, S. Mettler, C. Monaghan, A. Oleksiyenko, L. Strongman, etc.).

The research objective. Ukrainian social and cultural space is in a state determined by the challenges of military hybrid aggression in recent years. The authors will try to outline the “agenda”, the vectors for modernization of higher education in Ukraine when one tries to be a factor in minimizing and preventing military conflicts, as well as one of the effective instruments of decolonization policy.

The statement of basic material. The conceptualization of the possibilities of Ukrainian higher education as an instrument of peace-building is proposed to be based on a multidimensional approach that has to combine the approaches of modern philosophy of education, educational policy, cultural studies, history, law and political science fruitfully. The experience of educational peace-building is an entire powerful area at modern war and peace studies, and the educational practices of peace-building offered by the other countries’ (Israeli, etc.) education system are valuable to a number of societies included in conflicts. As one of the mentioned educational practices of Israeli education, that could have been implemented in the Ukrainian conflict and, hopefully post-conflict reality (schools of peace, education camps for peace, etc.).

Conclusions. In order to open the higher education’s peace-building and de-colonizing potential, it is expedient to analyze international and domestic normative acts on issues of peace-building. It is necessary to generalize the experience of domestic and foreign scientists on the issues of conflict cessation and reconciliation in society. At the same time, the construction of an educational model aimed at realizing the ideas of peace and overcoming the colonial syndrome, should be based on the fact that the hybrid war in Ukraine does not have direct analogues. It is advisable to develop a model program for peace-building for students of all specialties. Taking into account international experience (schools of peace, education camps for peace, etc.), there is a need for the introduction of a special training course on the foundations of peace-building in universities.

Keywords: peace-building, postcolinialism, Ukrainian higher education, military conflict, school of peace.

 

References:

  1. Bazaluk, O., Fatkhutdinov, V., Svyrydenko, D., 2018. ‘The Potential of Systematization of the Theories of Education for Solving of Contradictions of Ukrainian Higher Education Development’, Studia Warmińskie, Vol. 55, P. 63-79.
  2. Bazaluk, O., Svyrydenko, D., 2017. ‘Philosophy of War and Peace : In Search of New European Security Strategy’, Anthropological Measurements of Philosophical Research, №.12, P. 89-99.
  3. Hartmut, B., Megoran, N., Carnaffan, J., 2018. ‘Peace Education, Militarism and Neo-Liberalism : Conceptual Reflections with Empirical Findings from the UK’, Journal of Peace Education, 15:1, P. 76-96. (DOI: DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17400201.2017.1394283).
  4. Bekerman, Z., Zembylas, M., 2017. ‘Mediating Collective Memories and Official Histories in Conflict-Affected Societies : Pedagogical Responses to“Individual” Narratives and Competing Collective Memories’, International Perspectives on Teaching Rival Histories, P. 133-153.
  5. Danesh, HB., 2008. ‘The Education for Peace Integrative Curriculum : Concepts, Contents and Efficacy’, Journal of Peace Education, 5:2, P. 157-173. (DOI: DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17400200802264396).
  6. Geerlings, LRC., Lundberg, A., 2018. ‘Global Discourses and Power/Knowledge : Theoretical Reflections on Futures of Higher Education during the Rise of Asia’, Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 38:2, P. 229-240. (DOI: DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02188791.2018.1460259).
  7. Feuerverger, G., 1997. ‘An Educational Program for Peace : Jewish-Arab Conflict Resolution in Israel’, Theory Into Practice, Vol. 36, № 1, Teaching Conflict Resolution : Preparation for Pluralism, P. 17-25.
  8. Kenner, R., 2018. ‘The Challenges and Opportunities of Peace Education in Israel’. Available at : <https://jewishstudies.washington.edu/israel-hebrew/challenges-opportunities-of-peace-education-israel-camp-harmony/> [Accessed 29 May 2019].
  9. Kyvliuk, O., Polishchuk, O., Svyrydenko, D., Yatsenko, O., 2018. ‘Educational Management as Education Diplomacy : Strategies for Ukraine’, Naukovyi Visnyk Natsionalnoho Hirnychoho Universytetu, Issue 3, P. 139-144.
  10. Kyvliuk, O., Svyrydenko, D., 2017. ‘Academic mobility as “brain drain” phenomenon of modern higher education’, Studia Warmińskie, Vol. 54, P. 361-371.
  11. Lavia, J., 2007. ‘Repositioning Pedagogies and Postcolonialism : Theories, Contradictions and Possibilities’, International Journal of Inclusive Education, 11:3, P. 283-300. (DOI: DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13603110701237548).
  12. Mettler, S., 2005. ‘Soldiers to Citizens : The GI Bill and the Making of the Greatest Generation’, Oxford University Press, 252 p.
  13. Milton, S., Barakat, S., 2016. ‘Higher Education as the Catalyst of Recovery in Conflict-Affected Societies’, Globalisation, Societies and Education, Vol. 14, Issue 3, P. 403-421.
  14. Monaghan, C., Spreen, CA., 2016. ‘From Human Rights to Global Citizenship Education : Peace‚ Conflict and the Post-cold War Era’, International Journal of Educational Sciences, 13:1, P. 42-55. (DOI: DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09751122.2016.11890439).
  15. Oleksiyenko, A., 2019. ‘Why Is Governance Research Important for University Reforms in Ukraine?’, Ukrainian Policymaker, 4, P. 27-35. (DOI: DOI: https://doi.org/10.29202/up/4/5).
  16. Savenkova, L., Svyrydenko, D., 2018. ‘Academic Mobility and Academic Migration Issues : the Case of Ukrainian Higher Education’, Interdisciplinary Studies of Complex Systems, № 13, P. 57–65.
  17. Svyrydenko, D., Yatsenko, O., 2018. ‘Dialectics of Nominal and Real Power in the Ukrainian and World Politics’, Ukrainian Policymaker, Volume 2, P. 33-40.
  18. Strongman, L., 2014. ‘Postcolonialism and International Development Studies : A Dialectical Exchange?’, Third World Quarterly, 35:8, P. 1343-1354. (DOI: DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01436597.2014.946248).