Date of Graduation

Spring 2018

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

College/School

School of Education

Department

International and Multicultural Education

Program

International & Multicultural Education EdD

First Advisor

Monisha Bajaj

Second Advisor

Shabnam Koirala-Azad

Third Advisor

Stephen Zunes

Abstract

Recent Presidential elections in Kenya (2017) resulted in a contested re-run election and demonstrated the presence of systemic corruption, a culture of impunity, and a continued rift among civil society. Deep wounds were awakened during this recent election triggering past grievances from the post-election violence in 2007-08. It is critical and timely to explore various cross-sectoral peacebuilding approaches at the national and local levels to increase the capacity of individuals to act as agents of peace. However, peacebuilders often overlook the possibilities that exist within formal education to foster spaces of resistance against direct, structural, and cultural forms of violence. This vertical case study examines the manifestation of parallel peace education initiatives within the formal education sector at the national and local levels. Rooted at the local level, this mixed methods research identifies how peace education is conceptualized and put into action at the Daraja Academy, a private all-girls’ secondary boarding school. A comparative qualitative analysis examines how the national Peace Education Programme was conceptualized and identifies key stakeholders advancing this initiative. Results indicate that the Daraja Academy offers a combination of quality education for girls, gender transformative human rights education, and critical peace education to invite students to activate their innate agency for individual and collective positive social change. Through an examination of the school ecosystem at the Daraja Academy, factors enabling education for peace have been identified. At the national level, capacities for peacebuilding have been integrated into recent national curriculum reform efforts demonstrating a sustainable and responsive platform for schools to integrate peace education. By bringing the local and national levels together, this vertical case study presents a gendered response to inform national and local initiatives to integrate peace education into existing curricula.

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