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The Palgrave Handbook of Citizenship and Education pp 1–17Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Citizenship Education in the Conflict-Affected Societies of Northern Ireland and Syria: Learning Lessons from the Past to Inform the Future

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Abstract

The role of education in peacekeeping has been well documented in the academic literature. While it has been argued that education provided through formalized structures of school-settings has the potential to create stable environments for children and young people to learn and to heal, this can be difficult to achieve when children are displaced during conflict and little formalized structures exist, as communities navigate loss, trauma, and uncertainty and as they rebuild their lives. Further, existing literature demonstrates that in light of the existence of contested or conflicting identities in relation to citizenship, the content and approaches taken in relation to citizenship education may represent part of the problem and also part of the solution, for conflict-affected societies. It is against this backdrop that this chapter explores the nexus between the challenges and problems that exist for conflict-affected societies, alongside the potential for solutions and the potential for a long-lasting positive impact of citizenship education on the children of the post-conflict, transitioning generation. To explore these larger questions, the chapter utilizes the two case studies of the protracted conflict in Northern Ireland and the ongoing conflict in Syria. In doing so, it will consider issues such as contested identities and notions of citizenship, dominant ideologies, division, and school structures, as well as exploring whether there are lessons that can be learned from the past to inform the future.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    See: http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/fref98.htm

  2. 2.

    See: http://www.nio.gov.uk/a_new_beginning_in_policing_in_northern_ireland.pdf

  3. 3.

    See: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8457650.stm; http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8459824.stm

  4. 4.

    See: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8558466.stm

  5. 5.

    See: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/mar/09/stormont-northern-ireland-policing-vote

  6. 6.

    See: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/deal-to-see-restored-government-in-northern-ireland-tomorrow?utm_source=bf51b5ed-7630-4f6e-b745-ec9dc4f43cf7&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=govuk-notifications&utm_content=immediate

  7. 7.

    See the Party’s constitution: http://www.baath-party.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=307&Itemid=327&lang=en

  8. 8.

    For an introduction to the role of Al-Baath Vanguards in education, see the website of Al-Baath Vanguards Organisation: http://www.syrianpioneers.org.sy/node/24.

  9. 9.

    For an overview of the role of the “Revolutionary Youth” in education, see the website of the Revolutionary Youth Union: http://ryu-sy.org/من-نحن/.

  10. 10.

    Referring to President Bashar Al Assad.

  11. 11.

    https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/12/syria-assad-rules-negotiations-terrorists-151211163831365.html

  12. 12.

    https://syrianobserver.com/EN/interviews/24582/assad_us_supports_terrorists_by_calling_them_moderate_opposition.html

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia

    Faith Gordon

  2. University of Surrey, Guildford, UK

    Adnan Mouhiddin

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  1. Faith Gordon
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  2. Adnan Mouhiddin
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Correspondence to Faith Gordon .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, Canterbury Christ Church University, Canterbury, UK

    Andrew Peterson

  2. School of Education, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, SA, Australia

    Garth Stahl

  3. School of Education, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, SA, Australia

    Hannah Soong

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Gordon, F., Mouhiddin, A. (2020). Citizenship Education in the Conflict-Affected Societies of Northern Ireland and Syria: Learning Lessons from the Past to Inform the Future. In: Peterson, A., Stahl, G., Soong, H. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Citizenship and Education. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-67905-1_60-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-67905-1_60-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-67905-1

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