Teachers' understandings of forgiveness in a troubled society: an empirical exploration and implications for forgiveness pedagogies

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to explore how teachers define forgiveness in a society troubled with political conflict and historical trauma, what reservations they have and what pedagogical opportunities (if any) are created to teach about/for forgiveness in schools. More specifically, this is a phenomenological study of how a group of Greek-Cypriot teachers who teach in a troubled society (Cyprus) understand forgiveness; the authors examine how forgiveness pedagogies might or might not become part of Greek-Cypriot curricula and teaching practices. This article shows that some forgiveness pedagogies will not take place in schools unless there is political settlement in Cyprus. This finding does not preclude the possibility of engaging in some forms of forgiveness pedagogies before reconciliation is reached; however, these pedagogies will vary widely in value, depending on their context and motivation. An important contribution of forgiveness pedagogies is the creation of learning spaces which restore the humanness that is often lost in troubled societies.