Calling Institutions of Higher Education to Join the Quest for Social Justice and Peace

Abstract

cycle by moving away from a focus on consumerism and competition and toward a focus on love and wisdom, encouraging students to learn to see each other as connected by their common humanity. Tony Jenkins highlights the significance of cultivating the imagination and fostering critical inquiry in responding to and preventing acts of violence. He calls for the inclusion of peace education in teacher-training programs for the purpose of developing such skills. William Shorr then directs our attention to the teaching/ research method of critical exploration as a tool for peace education. He recounts the personal and professional dilemmas he faced as a citizen and teacher working to create a space for class discussions about the impending war in Iraq in 2003. Linda Brion-Meisels, Steven Brion-Meisels, and Catherine Hoffman draw on their experience as peace educators and community organizers to present a framework for creating and maintaining peaceable schools and communities that connects the personal, professional, and political aspects of peace and justice. Finally, Adria Scharf and Ram Bhagat share their experience of using artistic performance and expression to transcend cultural boundaries and empower youth in Richmond, Virginia — a city whose schools and neighborhoods are wracked by violence. Applying arts-based methodologies, they demonstrate how educators can reach out to youth who may not respond to more conventional forms of intervention and instill in them the foundations for peace and leadership. It will take time for our nation to fully respond to and understand the Virginia Tech incident and similar acts of violence, but we offer these essays to spark and continue conversations about how to create a culture of peace in educational settings. We dedicate this collection to those who perished on April 16th, and to the students, families, faculty, and staff of Virginia Tech with whom we stand in solidarity as they work to heal and rebuild their community.