Jonathan Smith

English Instructor

Lebanese American University

Teaching Nonviolence through

Student-centered Discussions

Why Peace Education?

Fostering a culture of peace (UNESCO)

“…can only be achieved with international,

sustained and systematic education for peace.”

– Hague Agenda for the 21st Century

“I felt afraid in that day. There is no

security, no safety, the situation is

getting worse.”

“I felt weak and ashamed. I feel that all the Arab people are weak and have

no power. On the other hand this is a shame for us when they kill our

leaders…that means they will kill and can kill anyone.”

How can we teach nonviolence in

contexts of intractable conflict in a

way that empowers students?

Palestinian Context

Theory on Teaching Nonviolence in

Contexts of Intractable Conflict

Role-play of Class Debate

Reflection on the Debate

Actual Palestinian student responses

Overview of Workshop

Palestinian Context

Ongoing Conflict

Palestinian-Israeli Conflict

Ongoing since the

early 20th century

Currently seems as

un-resolvable as ever

Policy of mutual non-

recognition

Increasing physical and

psychological barriers

Internal instability

Jenin District

Jenin District

Pop. ~280,000 in 70 plus villages

Primarily agricultural area

More conservative and more isolated than Ramallah or Bethlehem

City of Jenin

Pop. ~40,000 including 14,000 in Jenin Refugee Camp

Arab American University-Jenin

Private Palestinian university founded in 1990s

Located in the countryside 6 miles from the city of Jenin

~3,000 Palestinian students from all over the West Bank and Jerusalem

majority (60 percent) from Jenin district

Why English Language Teaching (ELT) to

teach nonviolence?

Skills-based nature of

ELT courses

Effectiveness of using

sustained content

Communicative

approach to learning

Allows for sharing of

perspectives

English Courses at AAUJ

Intensive English courses

Required for all new university students

Three levels based on placement test

Students from all majors participate in courses

Integrated Skills (Reading, Writing, Listening,

Speaking)

3 credit course, 5 hours of instruction

Two hours a week in Language Lab for listening and

speaking

Peace & Conflict Advanced English

Taught a total of 8 sections with 25 students in each section from 2003-2005

Students drawn from all majors and locations

Four English instructors involved: three Americans, one Palestinian

Two had degrees in Conflict Resolution

Context of Ongoing Conflict

Purpose of course is to help students to

understand and reflect upon a conflict they

experience daily.

Limited freedom of movement

Daily checkpoints, frequent military curfews in Jenin,

building of separation barrier.

Some students missed 1/3 of all classes due to curfews

Frequent interruptions in study

During the semester: assassination of Yasin and Rantisi,

killing of a university professor by Israeli army (claimed

mistaken identity)

Student story (if time)

Peace & Conflict Advanced English

Three content modules

Introduction to Basic Concepts

What causes conflict?

What causes peace?

Skills

Each module provides practice in reading,

writing, speaking and listening

Syllabus

Teaching Nonviolence in Contexts

of Intractable Conflict

Context of Intractable Conflict

Focus shifts from interpersonal to communal

conflict (Salomon & Nevo, 2002)

Source: Salomon, G. and Nevo, B. (2002). The Dilemmas of Peace Education in Contexts

of Intractable Conflict. Palestine-Israel Journal, 8(3): 65-77.

Context of Intractable Conflict

Asymmetry of Conflict Parties“When it comes to extreme inequalities, the

agenda of the oppressed…focuses more on the experienced inequality and on the desire to correct it.” (Salomon & Nevo, 2002).

Example: Meaning of the word “nonviolence”.

Focus shifted toward how to correct injustice, to achieve positive peace.

Source: Salomon, G. and Nevo, B. (2002). The Dilemmas of Peace Education in Contexts of Intractable Conflict. Palestine-Israel Journal, 8(3): 65-77.

Applying Peace Education Pedagogy

From convincing to empowering

Student-centered classroom; teacher as

facilitator

Goal of bringing out each student’s unique

perspective

Allow students to teach each other

Encouraging open discussion

Giving students freedom to choose not to

engage with content

Alternate assignments always available

Debate on Methods of Achieving

Positive Peace

Debate Overview

Question: What is the best method of achieving positive peace for Palestinians and Israelis?

Two students argue for each of four positionsBelief in Nonviolence

Strategic Nonviolence

Strategic Violence

Belief in Violence

Debate Overview

Opening Statements (2 min. each)

Why is your method the best?

Rebuttal of Opening Statements (10 min.)

Open Discussion

Closing Statements (2 min. each)

How is your method superior to other methods?

Floor speeches and responses (10 min.)

Methods of resistance used by different leaders in history

Belief in Nonviolence Strategic Nonviolence Strategic Violence Belief in Violence

“There is nothing surprising in a Muslim or a Pathan like me believing in the creed of nonviolence. It is not a new creed. It was followed fourteen hundred years ago by the Prophet all the time he was in Mecca, and it has since been followed by all those who wanted to throw off the oppressor’s yoke.“ “Through violence you may murder a murderer, but you can't murder murder. Through violence you may murder a liar, but you can't establish truth… Nonviolent resistance is not aimed against oppressors, but against oppression. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him. By nonviolent resistance, the Negro can also enlist all men of good will in his struggle for equality. The problem is not a struggle between people at all, but a tension between justice and injustice.”

“I do not deny that I planned sabotage. I did not plan it in a spirit of recklessness, nor because I have any love of violence. I planned it as a result of a calm assessment of the political situation after many years of oppression of my people by the Whites. We believed that as a result of Government policy, violence by the African people had become inevitable, and that unless responsible leadership was given to canalize and control the feelings of our people, there would be outbreaks of terrorism…we chose to break the law. We first broke the law in a way which avoided violence; when this form was legislated against, and then the Government resorted to a show of force to crush opposition to its policies, only then did we decide to answer violence with violence…but the violence which we chose to adopt was not terrorism.”

"We are nonviolent with people who are nonviolent with us. There is nothing in our book, the Koran, that teaches us to suffer peacefully. Our religion teaches us to be intelligent. Be peaceful, be courteous, obey the law, respect everyone; but if someone puts his hand on you, send him to the cemetery. That’s a good religion."

''Violence 'is a cleansing force. It frees the native from his Inferiority complex and from his despair and inaction; it makes him fearless and restores his self-respect.'' ''To shoot down a European is to kill two birds with one stone, to destroy an oppressor and the man he oppresses at the same time.'' “Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun…Politics is war without bloodshed while war is politics with bloodshed...We shall support whatever the enemy opposes and oppose whatever the enemy supports.”

nahK raffahG ludbA

,gniK rehtuL nitraM

rJ

alednaM nosleN X mloclaM nonaF znarF

gnuT esT oaM

Bios of Great Leaders Resisting

Oppression

Actual Student Responses

What did they choose?

Diversity of opinions

All agreed that “Education is the best

resistance”

Those who supported violence were not

planning to participate in it.

Student Perspectives

Belief in Violence

“We are resisting against an occupier that

occupied our land. And the occupier himself

logically believes in violence, so diamonds cut

diamonds”

“The oppressor (Israel) just understands only

one language and that is violence…”

Student Perspectives

Strategic Violence

….by violent resistance we can achieve a terror

balance and raise the cost of occupation”

The first intifada did not give the Palestinian

people anything, in fact more settlements were

built during the “peaceful years” than the

years before, and nonviolence gave the Israelis

a chance to take more land from us.”

Student Perspectives

Strategic Nonviolence

“With violence we do not achieve any progress. It only makes the situation worse and brings more destruction and humiliation…non-violence is a strategy that the Israelis are not always able to bring it down”

“Israel has more power than Palestinians, so if the Palestinians kill Israeli person or make operations Israeli soldiers will come and kill more Palestinians and destroy their homes.”

Nonviolence shows that we are not terrorists because when you use violence, you will be called a “terrorist” even if it’s your right to use it.”

Student Perspectives

Belief in Nonviolence

“If you don’t use violence that doesn’t mean

you are weak. On the contrary that will make

you stronger than your opponent, and make

you a different person.”

Challenges and Possibilities

Outsider-insider

Americans teaching peace

Encourages facilitation model

Flexibility to deal with ever-changing

situation

Course always under development

Lesson plans change as situation changes

Moving from interpersonal to communal and

back

Challenges and Possibilities

Humility to learn from students and from

mistakes

Long-term rather than short-term

perspective

Student story

Role of Institutional Support

Flexibility in course design essential for a

sustained content course

Support of administration also key

But…

Peace content can still be integrated into ELT

in other ways

Conclusion

Questions?

Email:

jonathansmith977@gmail.com