AK Peace Pedagogy

Welcome to the website of the Peace Education Working Group!

The Peace Education Working Group is a trans- and interdisciplinary network of practitioners and academics from German-speaking countries. It promotes the exchange of peace education approaches, their application in various fields of work and the further development of theoretical discourses. Its particular potential lies in the close interlinking of theoretical reflection and practical implementation.
The working group is dedicated to methodological and didactic questions of peace education as well as the design of a pedagogy for peace. A central concern is the critical reflection of its own self-image and the potential of peace education approaches to enable social transformations towards a peaceful, just and good life for all. The focus is on racism, discrimination, decolonial and postcolonial as well as power-critical perspectives, democracy education, political education and the promotion of a culture of peace in schools. The working group also deals with global challenges such as climate change, social inequality, geopolitical conflicts and the role of technological developments – especially digital media

  • Regular activities of the working group:
  • Joint online exchange
  • Annual conferences of the working group Peace education research colloquium (not regularly)

Contact

Sprecher*innen des Arbeitskreises sind:

Corinna Kostka
Arbeitsgemeinschaft Friedenspädagogik e.V. in München

info@agfp.de

Daniela Lehner
University Graz

daniela.lehner@uni-graz.at

Melanie Stamer
Institut für Konfliktbearbeitung und Mediation Hamburg

info@dekonstruktive-bildungspraxis.de

News / Announcements

In progress: The conference proceedings ‘Zukunft Friedenspädagogik’ are currently in preparation. Further information will follow shortly.

Content (literature / conference paper)

Groppe, Annalena & Hussak, Melanie (2023). Friedenspädagogische Perspektiven auf Heterogenität als Potenzial für Konfliktbearbeitung in Landau. In: Pusch, Barbara; Spieker, Susanne & Horne, Christopher (Hrsg.), Heterogenität und Diversität in Städten mittlerer Größe: Das Beispiel Landau in der Pfalz (S. 67–83). Wiesbaden: Springer Fachmedien.

 

Lehner, Daniela (2023). Pluriversal and Relational Pedagogies for Peace(s). In Factis Pax. Journal of Peace Education and Social Justice, 17(1), S. 47-61 (Open Access).

 

Stamer, Melanie (2022). Differenzen (in) der Demokratie – Friedenspädagogik à venir? In: Umbach, Susanne & Pinkert, Christoph (Hrsg.), Frieden üben – Brücken und Brüche im Denken und Handeln. Impulse aus der Friedenspädagogik (S. 43–58). Schwalbach: Wochenschau Verlag.

 

Umbach, Susanne & Pinkert, Christoph (Hrsg.) (2022). Frieden üben – Brücken und Brüche im Denken und Handeln. Impulse aus der Friedenspädagogik. Schwalbach: Wochenschau Verlag.

 

Groppe, Annalena & Hussak, Melanie (2021). Friedenspädagogik in Transformation. Potentiale eines vielfältigen Feldes. In Wissenschaft & Frieden, S. 6-9.

Archive

‘Peace’ seems to be a distant prospect in many places and regions of the world. How can peace be developed in the face of global challenges such as capitalism and increasing neoliberalisation, right-wing populism, digitalisation, automation and the problems arising in the context of climate change? How can we initiate peace processes in everyday life? At this conference, we will focus on these global challenges and reflect together on the perspectives they offer for peace education.

A more detailed description of the conference and everything you need to know about registration can be found here.

The panel ‘Tensions and dilemmas in peace education’ was presented at the AK colloquium in March 2024. In this panel, peace education dilemmas were examined from interdisciplinary perspectives. Ecological issues in peace education were addressed and productive areas of tension in conflicts were examined, while new approaches to peace-promoting education were outlined.

This event provided a space for in-depth dialogue between the working group members. Various visions of a school culture of peace were developed and reflected upon in the form of a future workshop.

Peace education perspectives on polarising conflicts” took place in Landau. Sponsored by the Rhineland-Palatinate State Centre for Political Education in cooperation with the Rhineland-Palatinate Peace Academy, various lectures and workshops were offered. Speakers included Prof Dr Anderas Eis (University of Kassel) on political education and the crisis of democracy and Dr Claudia Ritter (University of Kassel) on political identities and emotions.

‘Peace’ seems to be a distant prospect in many places and regions of the world. How can peace be developed in the face of global challenges such as capitalism and increasing neoliberalisation, right-wing populism, digitalisation, automation and the problems arising in the context of climate change? How can we initiate peace processes in everyday life? At this conference, we will focus on these global challenges and reflect together on the perspectives they offer for peace education.

You can download the flyer here.

A more detailed conference description and programme will follow shortly.

Registration until 15.10.2019 to froehling@ikm-hamburg.de.

‘Trauma and trauma processing: perspectives and challenges for peace education’ at the University of Koblenz-Landau (Koblenz campus).
In the lectures and workshops, the current research landscape on the topic of trauma will be discussed and an attempt will be made not only to stop at a reception, but also to think the topic further in terms of (peace) education. We are very much looking forward to the contributions by Prof. Dr Bettina Wuttig (Heidelberg), Prof. em. Dr Christina Krause (Göttingen) and Dr Ran Kuttner (Haifa).

You can download the flyer here.

You can download a more detailed conference description and programme here.
Please register by 25 September 2017 at friedensakademie-rlp@uni-landau.de.

“The aim of the AK Friedenspädagogik research colloquium is to provide a platform for regular academic exchange and networking between academics in the field of peace education. The results of own research, ongoing research projects with a focus on
theoretical or methodological approaches, but also shorter input contributions as well as contributions with a strong practical relevance can be presented.”
You can find the call for papers here.

The 2016 annual conference of the AK Friedenspädagogik will take place from 7 to 9 November 2016 at the Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt. The conference will be dedicated to the topic of flight. María do Mar Castro Varela (ASH Berlin) and Andreas Zumach have already confirmed their participation as speakers. Joint reflections on peace education research and education programmes are also planned. More information on the programme will be available shortly.

A peace education research colloquium was launched at the 2015 annual conference of the Peace Education Working Group. It has been repeatedly criticised by various parties – especially the ‘next generation of academics’ – that there are hardly any ‘spaces with expertise in peace education’ for professional exchange in relation to research projects. The working group would like to counteract this by initiating the peace education research colloquium. The ‘founding meeting’ took place on 17 January 2016 in Marburg. In future, the colloquium will offer the opportunity to work together on peace education research three times a year (e.g. discussing research designs, jointly interpreting collected data or jointly discussing a planned publication). Meetings are planned in winter (at or after the conference of the North German Network for Peace Education), in summer (in Marburg) and in autumn (after the annual conferences of the AK Friedenspädagogik). If you are interested, please contact Alex Thattamannil-Klug (thattamannil-klug@uni-marburg.de, spokesperson for the Peace Education Working Group).

At the 2015 annual conference of the Peace Education working group, the working group’s mailing list was reactivated. The mailing list will not only be used to distribute announcements of the AK conferences, but also to provide information about other peace education conferences, publications and job advertisements. If you are interested, please contact Alex Thattamannil-Klug (thattamannil-klug@uni-marburg.de, spokesperson for the Peace Education Working Group).

The spokespersons of the Peace Education Working Group were invited to participate in the deliberations on the establishment of a ‘nationwide peace education network’. Even though the planned network is primarily intended for practitioners in educational work, many of those present at the first networking meeting spoke out in favour of closer proximity to or support from academia and therefore expressed the wish that the AFK (through the Peace Education Working Group) should be involved in the deliberations and that the working group should support the network in the long term or become part of the network if it is founded. The next networking meeting will take place in Frankfurt at the beginning of February.

From 21 to 23 September 2015, the annual conference of the Peace Education Working Group took place at Philipps University Marburg. It was organised by the AFK and the Institute for School Pedagogy at Philipps University and took place in cooperation with the State Agency for Civic Education.
The 21st was used for a collegial exchange by reporting on current work and projects. On the 22nd and 23rd, the focus was on the conference topic. The conference kicked off on Tuesday morning with a lecture by Prof. Astrid Messerschmidt from the Technical University of Darmstadt on ‘Criticism of racism in the context of the aftermath of colonialism and National Socialism – perspectives for educational work’.
Two anti-discrimination projects from the field of peace education were then presented and critically discussed. Nadine Kriebel and Christoph Rössler presented the workshop concept “Die Pastinaken. The z/wide view”. Melani Stamer and Dieter Lünse introduced the anti-bias approach as it is used in their work. ManuEla Ritz then presented the concept of empowerment work as it has developed and established itself in the Black German movement, as well as the concept of Critical Whiteness.

On the morning of the final day, the presentations and discussions from the previous day were resumed and lively debated. Participants agreed that the topics discussed at this conference should be carried forward to future conferences and will continue to shape them, even as other subjects are addressed.

The conference was framed by an alternative city tour focusing on Marburg during National Socialism and an evening at the clubhouse of the Marburg academic association “Colloquium e.V.”, which hosted a dinner and social gathering, as well as a joint dinner at a restaurant on Wednesday evening.

The conference was supported by the Ursula Kuhlmann Fund of the Marburg University Association.

A brief report on the 2014 and 2015 conferences can be found here.

Constructing the ‘Other’: From Theory to Theory-Guided Practice

[You can download the full program here.]

Hier ist die englische Übersetzung deines Textes in einem professionellen, aber zugänglichen Stil, der sich gut für Tagungsankündigungen oder -berichte eignet:

At this year’s conference of the Working Group on Peace Education, we will take up and continue the discussions and efforts initiated at last year’s meeting. The goal of the 2014 conference was to critically examine the construction of the “Other” using the example of racism, with a focus on bringing together research and peace education practice. Approaches such as “group-focused enmity,” critical race theory, and postcolonial perspectives were brought into dialogue and reflected upon in relation to peace education theory and practice.

This year, the joint exploration is to be deepened:

  • In public consciousness, notions of descent and patterns of national-cultural belonging continue to dominate. These are also reflected in various pedagogical approaches. What pathways can peace education take to help overcome these patterns of thinking?
  • What role does education in general play in constructing the dichotomy of “us and them”? For example, in the way difference is addressed in intercultural education?
  • How can racism-critical perspectives gain greater influence in (peace) education?
  • What specific significance might postcolonial and post-National Socialist perspectives hold for peace education?
  • What role does racism—and the associated constructions of the “Other”—play in how we view and evaluate wars and forced migration? And conversely, how do war and displacement shape and reinforce racism

 

Following an introductory lecture by Prof. Astrid Messerschmidt (TU Darmstadt), the conference will present three projects/concepts from educational practice—some with a focus on peace education. Their theoretical foundations and practical implementation will be discussed collectively.

Importantly, the conference also aims to foster exchange within the peace education community. Ample time has been set aside for this purpose on the first day as well as during breaks and meals. Non-AFK members and students are warmly invited to attend!

Constructing the ‘Other’: Challenges and Tasks for Peace Pedagogy

[You can download the programme here]

Hier ist eine professionelle und inhaltlich präzise englische Übersetzung deines Textes, geeignet für Konferenzankündigungen, Einleitungen in Tagungsbänden oder Programmtexte:

All humans are different from one another. This seemingly banal yet profoundly significant statement was the starting point for Werner Wintersteiner’s conception of peace education as a “pedagogy of the other human being” (Wintersteiner 2006, p. 166). However, many people are perceived, described, and addressed by the “dominant society” (Rommelspacher 1995) as “different in a particular way.” Through these practices, they are made into “Others”—they are constructed as “Other.” Various social movements have drawn attention to these constructions and the underlying norms: feminist movements with their critique of the male-as-norm assumption, the Black movement with its challenge to the notion that being German is implicitly associated with whiteness (e.g., Oguntoye et al. 2006), or the disability rights movement, which denounces the violent impacts of dominant norms regarding physical and mental abilities (Köbsell 2007).

Educational discourses reflect diverse perspectives on the “Other” and the construction thereof. In large parts of intercultural education, the guiding principle remains “getting to know the Other” in order to avoid “intercultural communication difficulties.” In doing so, however, the violent divisions imposed by the dominant society—between “us” and “them,” along with culturalizing and ethnicizing assumptions—are taken up and reinforced. In some strands of inclusive education, the focus on the individual can become so pronounced that structural positioning and experiences of discrimination are easily overlooked. Other approaches, such as postcolonial or migration pedagogy, do not assume the existence of a pre-defined “Other,” but rather examine the construction of the “self” and the “foreign.”

At this conference, we aim to explore the treatment of “Othering” in peace education theory and practice, using racism as a starting point, and to examine whether the peace education discourse needs to be reoriented or corrected in this regard. The conference will also discuss how discourses from other pedagogical subfields are received within peace education. Finally, the event is intended as a space for exchange within the peace education community. Non-AFK members and students are warmly welcome.

Köbsell, Swantje (2007): Against Segregation – For Self-Advocacy: On the History of the Disability Movement in Germany. Available online URL: www.zedis.uni-hamburg.de/www.zedis.uni-hamburg.de/wp-content/uploads/2007/01/bewegungsgeschichte_kobsell.pdf [last access: 15.04.2014]
Oguntoye, Katharina Ayim May und Schulz, Dagmar: Farbe bekennen. Afro-deutsche Frauen auf den Spuren ihrer Geschichte. Berlin: Orlanda Frauenverlag, 3. Auflage 2006.
Rommelspacher, Birgit: Dominanzkultur. Texte zu Fremdheit und Macht. Berlin: Orlanda Frauenverlag. 1995.
Wintersteiner, Werner: Pädagogik des Anderen: Baustein für eine Friedenspädagogik in der Postmoderne. Münster: Agenda-Verlag, 3. unv. Aufl., 2004

“The Peace Education Perspective: A Critical Look at Practical Examples”
September 23–24, 2013 at the Berghof Foundation in Tübingen

More information and the programm can be found here.

Conference Report on the 2012 Annual Meeting: “Peace Education and Violence Prevention”
by Renate Grasse, Dieter Lünse, and Bettina Gruber (Spokespersons)

Conference Content

The annual meeting of the Working Group on Peace Education took place from September 24–25, 2012, at the offices of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Friedenspädagogik e.V. in Munich. Twenty participants from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland gathered to exchange ideas on the topic “Peace Education and Violence Prevention.”
In a highly engaging and in-depth discussion, the working group explored the intersections of peace education and violence prevention in the three countries.

To open the conference, Günther Gugel (Berghof Foundation / Peace Education) introduced several critical questions that peace education might raise regarding common approaches to violence prevention. He pointed out that any concept of prevention necessarily creates its own conditions and often casts young people—its primary target group—under a general suspicion. Fundamentally, Gugel argued, peace educators must decide whether they are committed to the goal of a culture of peace or instead are pursuing a society of prevention.

Following this, Bettina Gruber (University of Klagenfurt), Barbara Jost (Association Suisse des Educateurs à la Paix), Dieter Lünse (ikm Hamburg), and Robert Pechhacker (AGFP Munich) presented regional and national concepts of violence prevention, shared experiences, identified challenges, and discussed developments in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Although the structural contexts in each country are not directly comparable, common core issues and problem areas were identified.

One major concern discussed was the tendency for violence prevention to be limited to isolated, project-based approaches. Although recent years have seen the development of far-reaching, sustainable programs and networks, the risk remains that violence prevention could be co-opted for political or disciplinary purposes. Positive effects are more likely when violence prevention is closely tied to principles of participation, and when networking is guided by pedagogical interest in fostering positive developmental opportunities for children and young people—rather than treating them as a potential threat.

In general, the integration of peace education into the broader field of violence prevention remains unsatisfactory. One key reason identified was the lack of peace education training in teacher education and in the qualification of youth workers outside the formal school system.

A further topic addressed was the critical examination of a simulation game on the relationship between peace policy and economics, developed by the Fränkisches Bildungswerk für Friedensarbeit and Friedenskreis Halle. Elli Mack from Friedenskreis Halle presented the simulation and shared initial experiences. The feedback and suggestions from the discussion were noted for further development.

Future Perspectives

The working group intends to continue its collaboration by refining terminology (e.g. peace education, peace learning, peace pedagogy) and by deepening its examination of the peace education perspective on violence prevention through future conferences and workshops. A key objective is to articulate how the various thematic focuses of the participants can be situated within a shared vision.
The next meeting will be the conference of the Northern German Peace Education Network from February 20–22, 2013 in Ratzeburg.
Several participants will also attend the AFK Colloquium from February 28 – March 2, 2013. The next annual meeting of the Working Group on Peace Education is planned for September 2013 in Karlsruhe.

 

Conference Program

Monday, September 24:
13:00 – Opening
14:00 – Country Comparison on the State of Violence Prevention

  • Günther Gugel: Assessing Violence Prevention

  • Bettina Gruber: Violence Prevention in Austria

  • Barbara Jost: Violence Prevention in Switzerland

  • Dieter Lünse: Violence Prevention in Hamburg

  • Robert Pechhacker: Munich Standards for School-Based Violence Prevention
    16:30 – Discussion and Critical Reflection
    20:00 – Simulation Game (Karl Heinz Bittl)
    – Try-out, reflection, and feedback on specific questions and ideas

Tuesday, September 25:
09:00 – A Peace Education Perspective on Violence Prevention
11:00 – Planning Further Collaboration and Upcoming Conferences
14:00 – End of Conference

The Working Group met in September for a Specialist Discussion in Nuremberg

Antimilitarism and Nonviolence: The Relevance of the Upheavals in North Africa for Peace Education

Werner Wintersteiner (University of Klagenfurt) differentiated various forms of militarism in his talk titled “From the Noble Warrior to the Sad Warrior”—ranging from feudal bellicism to patriotic and racist-imperialist militarism, left-revolutionary militarism, and modern mercenarism, to the militarism found in democracies. For peace education, the main point of engagement lies in what is referred to as “banal militarism”: the cultural practices that sustain the continuity of militarism.

Marc von Boemcken (BICC) gave an overview of arms policy and arms exports, presented the top ten arms exporters and importers, and especially described arms activities and key players in the North African region and the Middle East. As peace educators, we were particularly struck by the fact that global arms expenditures have increased by 49% since 2000. More information can be found at: www.ruestungsexport.info.

Reiner Steinweg gave a presentation on nonviolence in Egypt, specifically addressing the question: How was it possible that the uprising in Egypt in the first half of 2011 remained largely nonviolent? The presentation is available directly from the author. In the subsequent discussion, it was—yet again—regrettably noted that we still know far too little about nonviolent processes of political change. However, there is now a bibliography on the topic of nonviolence, compiled by Reiner Steinweg:
www.friedenspaedagogik.de/service/literatur/bibliographie_gewaltfreiheit_und_soziale_verteidigung

One working group exchanged ideas on the theory and practice of boys’ work as an engagement with concepts of masculinity. Another working group discussed strategies in response to the cooperation agreements between the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) and most of the education ministries in Germany.

The next meeting of the Peace Education Working Group will take place on September 24–25, 2012 in Basel. The participants plan to explore a specific case study addressing the question: How can peace education, as a specific organizational form of learning, be integrated into schools? (Project: “Learning Without Fear”).