Compulsory Education in Lebanon, Northern Ireland and Macedonia

Abstract

Fontana provides the first analysis of the nexus between education reform and the politics of power-sharing in societies emerging from civil war. This chapter traces the history of education as an instrument for the building of nation-states and for the reproduction of communal identities in Lebanon and Northern Ireland since 1920, and in Macedonia since 1918. It shows that, before and during the three conflicts, school curricula and structures contributed to perpetuating the narratives, values and practices that fed inter-group animosity. It analyses the education reforms prescribed by the three peace agreements and highlights that—despite rhetorical statements—they did not fundamentally alter the political function of education and the political priorities for education reform.