Toleration and coexistence in conflicting societies: some tensions and implications for education

Abstract

In this paper, the author shows that the issue of whether toleration promotes coexistence is controversial and therefore needs careful consideration in light of the complexities that are involved in understanding and teaching toleration in the schools of conflict and post-conflict societies. In particular, this paper offers a critique to the interpretation of toleration-as-respect as a means of fostering coexistence in education. A vignette from the author’s ethnographic research is used to support the argument that the assumption about a ‘naturalised’ link between toleration and coexistence is problematic and might well be counter-productive. It is shown that there exists an alternative interpretation of tolerance that highlights the antagonism between conflicting communities. Finally, the paper proposes an account of how an ethics of responsibility and hospitality may provide valuable alternatives that enrich existing interpretations of toleration and coexistence in educational settings of conflicting societies.