Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

African Women and Peace Education

Field Experiences

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
The Palgrave Handbook of African Women's Studies

  • 33 Accesses

Abstract

This chapter gives a critical examination of the role women play in promoting peace education using a gendered practitioner’s perspective. Informed by the theory of change, the chapter utilizes bottom-based approaches to how women act as agents of change in promoting peace education in society. The chapter underscores how women are instrumental in using localized peace experiences to shape through socialization the behavior of children as responsible and active citizens in later life. The chapter conceptualizes peace education as a gendered process which is complex, dynamic, nonlinear, and interactive. The gendered nature of peace education allows women to amplify their voices while at the same time challenge the dominant perspectives aimed at totalizing and universalizing discourses and practices of peace education in society. Thus, by focusing on the gendered nature of peace education and amplifying the role of women as peace educators, the chapter seeks to engender new thinking into the theoretical and practical conceptualizations of peace and peace education within an African context.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Adhiambo-Oduol, J. (1994). Gender and the agenda for peace. Paper presented at the United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW) Expert Group Meeting. New York, 5–9 December, 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  • Adhiambo-Oduol, J. (1999). Traditional mediating techniques and women’s contribution to a culture of peace. In I. Breines, D. Gierycz, & B. Reardon (Eds.), Towards a women’s agenda for a culture of peace. Paris: UNESCO.

    Google Scholar 

  • African Platform for Action. Position Paper adopted at the Fifth Regional Conference on Women. Dakar, 16–23 November 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  • Anuradha, M. (2006). Human society, concepts and implications. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Badmus, I. A. (2009). Explaining women’s roles in the West African tragic triplet: Sierra Leone, Liberia and Cote d’Ivoire in comparative perspective. Journal of Alternative Perspectives in the Social Sciences, 1(30), 808–839.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barash, D. (1999). Historical views of peace. In World encyclopedia of peace. New York: Oceana Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bar-Tal, D. (2002). Elusive nature of peace education. In G. Salomon & B. Nevo (Eds.), Peace education: The concepts, principles and practices around the world (pp. 27–36). Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beijing Platform for Action of the 4th World Conference on Women (n.d.). Action for Equality, Development and Peace. Beijing, 4–15 September 1995.un.org./en/events/pastevents/pdfs/Beijing_Declaration_and Platform_for_Action.pdf

    Google Scholar 

  • Braun, N. (Ed.). (2018). United Nations women annual report 2012–2013. Communication Section, R.R. Donnelley/Hoechstetter. New York. http://www.unwomen.org.

  • Breines, I., Gierycz, D., & Reardon, B. A. (Eds.). (1999). Towards a women’s agenda for a culture of peace. Paris: United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brock-Utne, B. (2002). Whose education for all? The recolonization of the African mind. New York: Falmer Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Carson, T. R., & Lange, E. A. (1999). Peace education in social studies. In I. Wright & A. Sears (Eds.), Issues in Canadian social studies (pp. 208–225). Vancouver: Pacific Educational.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chingono, M. (1996). The state, violence and development: The political economy of war in Mozambique, 1975–92. Aldershot, Brookfield, USA: Avebury Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clarke-Habibi, S. (2018). Teachers’ perspectives on educating for peace in Bosnia and https://doi.org/10.1080/17400201.2018.1463209.

  • Cook, R. (Ed.). (1994). Human rights of women: National and international perspectives. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Egbetayo, V., & Nyambura, C. (2019). Forced displacement in Africa has a female face. Global Partnership for Education. Retrieved from http://www.globalpartnership.org/blog/forced-displacement-africa-has-female-face, 18 October 2019.

  • Fountain, S. (1999). Peace education in UNICEF. UNICEF staff working papers. Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/edu/files/PeaceEducation.pdf. 17 September 2019.

  • Freire, P. (1972a). Cultural action for freedom. Hammondsworth: Penguin Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freire, P. (1972b). Pedagogy of the oppressed. Hammondsworth: Penguin Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freire, P. (2001). Pedagogy of the freedom: Ethics, democracy, civic courage. Boston: Rowan & Littlefield Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Galtung, J. (1974). On peace education. In C. Wulf (Ed.), Handbook on peace education (pp. 153–172). Frankfurt/Main/Oslo: International Peace Research Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Galtung, J. (2010. A theory of peace: Building direct, structural and cultural peace (Vol. 10). Transcend University Press. Retrieved from http://www.transcend.org/tup. 10 October 2019.

  • Garcia–Moreno, C. (2000). Violence against women: International perspectives. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 19, 330–333.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harber, C., & Sakade, N. (2009). Schooling for violence and peace: How does peace education differ from ‘normal’ school? Journal of Peace Education, 6(2), 171–189.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harris, I. M. (2007). Peace education theory. Journal of Peace Education, 1(1), 6–20.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hyatt, S. (1991). Accidental activists: Women and politics on a council estate. American Anthropological Association Annual Meeting. Chicago.

    Google Scholar 

  • Karam, A. (2000). Women in the war and peace-building: The roads transversed and the challenges ahead. International Feminist Journal of Politics, 3(1), 2–25.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lisa, S. & Manjrika, W. (2005). The role of women in peacebuilding. European http://www.gppac.net. Accessed 3 October 2019.

  • Lister, R. (1994). Social policy in divided communities: Reflections on the Opsahl report on the future of Northern Ireland. Irish Journal of Sociology, 4, 27–50.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moran, M. H. (1999). Warriors of soldiers? Masculinity and ritual transvestism in the Liberian civil war. In Hamphere et al. (Eds.), Situated lives: Gender and culture in everyday life (pp. 440–450). New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moran, M. H., & Pitcher, M. A. (2004). The ‘basket’ case and the ‘poster child’: Explaining the end of civil war in Liberia and Mozambique. Third World Quarterly, 25(3), 501–519.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Myrttinnen, H., Naujoks, J., & El-Bushra, J. (2014). Rethinking gender and peacebuilding (pp. 10–15). London: International Alert.

    Google Scholar 

  • Navarro-Castro, L., & Nario-Galace, J. (2010). Peace education: A pathway to a culture of peace. Quezon City: Center for Peace Education, Miriam College.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ng’eny-Mengeh, I. (Ed.). (1995). Strategies for peace: Proceedings of the African women for conflict resolution and peace strategies. Workshop, Kampala, Nairobi, English Press Ltd.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ng’eny-Mengeh, I. (Ed.). (1999). Strategies for peace: Proceedings of the African women for conflict resolution and peace strategies. Workshop, Kampala, Nairobi, English Press Ltd.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nordstrom, C., & Robben, C. G. M. (Eds.). (1995). Fieldwork under fire: Contemporary studies of violence and survival. Berkeley: University of California Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peace and Security project in the Gambia: Mamadou’s Story, Tostan, Headquarters, Dakar-Yoff, Senegal. http://www.tostan.org/peace-and-security-project-the-gambia-mamdou-story/retrieved. 10 October 2019.

  • Potter, A. (2005). We the women: Why conflict mediation is not just a job for men. Geneva: Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reardon, B. A. (1993). Women and peace: Feminist vision of global security. Albany: State University of New York Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reardon, B. A. (1988). Comprehensive Peace Education: Education for Global Responsibility. New York: Teachers College Press

    Google Scholar 

  • Report of the Expert Group Meeting on Gender and the Agenda for Peace 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  • Report of the Expert Group meeting on gender and the agenda for peace, United Nations Headquarters, New York, 5–9 December, 1995.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tidwell, A. (2004). Conflict, peace and education: A tangled web. Conflict Resolution Quarterly, 21(4), 463–470.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • UN Women Annual Report (2012–2013). United Nations Entity for Gender Equality. http://www.unwomen.org. Accessed 2 October, 2019.

  • UNESCO. (1974) Recommendation on education for international understanding, co-operation and peace, and education relating to human rights and fundamental freedoms, Paris, France.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNESCO. (1993a). World plan of action on education for human rights and democracy, Montreal, Canada.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNESCO. (1993b). Declaration and programme of action of the world conference on human rights, Vienna, Austria.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNESCO. (1994a). Integrated framework of action on education for peace, human rights and democracy, international conference on education, Geneva, Switzerland.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNESCO. (1994b). Final report of the first consultative meeting of the culture of peace programme, Paris, France, 27–29 September.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNESCO Agenda for Gender Equality presented to the Fourth World Conference on Women (FWCW), Beijing, (1995). UNESCO,28C/4,para.227,unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0010/001025/10250/e.pdf

    Google Scholar 

  • United Nations Children’s Fund. (2014). Learning for peace. Retrieved from: http://www.learning-for-peace.unicef.org/about/learning-for-peace. 2 October 2019.

  • United Nations Security Council Report of the Secretary General on Women, Peace and Security, S/2019/800.pdf. 9 October 2019.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zanoni, K. (2017). Kenyan girls as agents of peace: Enhancing the capacity of future women peace builders. Research in Comparative and International Education, 12(1), 100–126.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Business, Peace, Leadership and Governance, Africa University, Mutare, Zimbabwe

    Pamela Machakanja

Authors
  1. Pamela Machakanja
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Political Science and Public Administration, Babcock University, Ilishan Remo, Nigeria

    Olajumoke Yacob-Haliso

  2. Department of History, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA

    Toyin Falola

Section Editor information

  1. Department of History and International Studies, College of Humanities, Redeemer’s University, Osun State, Nigeria

    Oluwatoyin O. Oluwaniyi

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2021 The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Machakanja, P. (2021). African Women and Peace Education. In: Yacob-Haliso, O., Falola, T. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of African Women's Studies. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-77030-7_175-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-77030-7_175-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-77030-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-77030-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference HistoryReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Humanities

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation