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Can inter-ethnic contact in the workplace constitute real peace education?

Outlining a research agenda

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Konflikte vermitteln?

Part of the book series: Friedens- und Konfliktforschung ((FUKFO))

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Abstract

The main purpose of this chapter is to raise the question of whether continuous contact between ethnically-diverse, conflicted co-workers in a hospital, factory, school, or business can promote the goals usually served by relatively intentional planned and structured peace education (PE) programs for the young. I wish to examine the issue of incidental changes in the minds and hearts of the “other side” in an ongoing conflict. Does this meet, not only the general conditions specified by the contact hypothesis (Allport, 1954; Pettigrew, 1998), but also more specifically, contextual ones (Dixon Durrheim & Tredoux, 2005), such that new ways of relating to the “other side“ are acquired? Towards this end we need to learn from the co-workers involved about their experienced processes that might lead to this kind of (probably incidental) learning.

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Salomon, G. (2015). Can inter-ethnic contact in the workplace constitute real peace education?. In: Bös, M., Schmitt, L., Zimmer, K. (eds) Konflikte vermitteln?. Friedens- und Konfliktforschung. Springer VS, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-07798-3_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-07798-3_14

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