Peace Studies: A Mission and a Project

Abstract

AbstractThe initiative to mainstream peace studies in Catholic higher education institutions in Africa has a relatively long history. Building on the Bujumbura (2010) and Johannesburg (2014) recommendations, the Association of Catholic Universities and Higher Institutes of Africa and Madagascar (ACUHIAM) passed a resolution in 2017 to establish departments of peace studies across member institutions. Whereas this mission is ongoing and with steps been made, ACUHIAM has a long way to go. This chapter introduces the mission, project, opportunities and challenges to mainstream peace studies in Africa. In the chapter by Mutalemwa and Trochemowitz in this volume and in the next publication we attempt to provide a detailed analysis based on empirical research. We begin by showing the relevance of peace studies as pointed out by students at St. Augustine University of Tanzania and we propose training in peace studies across various levels of learning, from nursery school to university and to the general public. A number of well-established institutions are willing to collaborate in making this mission a reality. They include: the Symposium of Member Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), the International Federation of Catholic Universities (IFCU) and the Catholic Peacebuilding Network.KeywordsACUHIAMPeace studiesHigher educationAfrica