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Education plays a fundamental role in the development of each individual. It gives

individuals the opportunity to grow mentally (and physically) , satisfying psychological
needs and providing a process through which individuals can both enhance and
understand themselves and those around them; it can play a vital part in the
reaching, and subsequent expansion, of one¶s potential. Education can also liberate
individuals from ignorance and from the domination and subjugation by others.

However, miseducation and the deprivation of education can be used as tools to

dominate and subjugate the ³uneducated´. Miseducating or depriving individuals of
education relating to peace is of particular concern given the potential harm this
might cause and the potential benefits an education in peace could bring about in the
world. Peace education is vital for all people ± be they politicians or laypeople, for
example, to understand, seek and achieve peace and harmony in their relationships
with others and with nature. Hence, I believe that peace education should have a key
part to play both formally and inf ormally at school for children and everyone¶s daily
life.

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0he approach of Peace Philosophy to (peace) education provid es a modern,

egalitarian and pra ctical paradigm of education and the relationship b etween the
³educator´ and the ³educated´. Not only does it break down the distinctions between
the roles ± which encourages peaceful relationships between those fulfilling those
roles ± but also facilitates an united attempt to reciprocate the exchange of ideas and
peaceful concepts through a community of communication. 0he multi-way exchange
of communication both educates and i s educating for those involved, and a
communication community becomes reciprocally aware of each person¶s
competencies or capabilit ies to reach peaceful agreements.

I believe that the development and continuation of such a community of

communication is essential in order for peace education to be functional and
applicable to all people. However, I do think that we are still far from achieving such
am educational framework and must continue to develop our knowledge and
facilitate the knowledge of others in the field of peace philosophy. While I believe that
I have some competencies to communicate my ideas and discuss the ideas of other s
based on mutual recognition and common interest in making peace, I feel that I must
continually strive to deconstruct my competencies related to non -peaceful activities
and thoughts and reconstruct them in tune with peaceful ones. Living in a society in
which competencies related to non -peace may be more encouraged and more easily
constructed than those related to peace, I believe that this deconstruction and
reconstruction process is fundamental for everyone, including myself, to become
valid interlocutors who, through communication, mutual recognition and common
interest, can foster peace. 0hese Peace Philosophy debates are essentially a mini -
community of virtual communication in which each of us are able to become valid
interlocutors, not only by dint of sharing our thoughts and views with others ± what
might otherwise be termed as µeducating¶ others ± but also by learning about and
interpreting the thoughts and views of others in the community ± what might
otherwise be termed as µbeing educated¶ by others.

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In Peace Philosophy, the concept of µcitizens of the world¶ refers to a state in which
each person, through education, understands herself/himself as a member of a
global community that includes every other person in the world. United to everyon e in
this membership, each individual empathises with others, and actively seeks to
prevent or undo any violation of rights suffered by anyone else, be that person a
neighbour or someone living o n the other side of the planet, for example. Being a
µcitizen of the world¶ is not about totalitarian globalization but about pluralistic
globalization in which each individual and his/her characteristics, attitudes and
identity are valued and help shape this global citizenry.

As I learn more about myself, those around me, and life in general, I feel that I am
increasingly becoming closer to what Peace Philosophy might term a µcitizen of the
world¶. I feel unsatisfied by accepting my own attitudes and those of people around
me as absolute global tru ths, and instead prefer to engage and attempt to
understand and empathise with others, including those who have very different
perspectives and experiences to mine. Extensive travel and research, combined with
meeting people and sharing each others¶ views and experiences (for example,
through this course) have helped me to grow in my quest to become a µcitizen of the
world¶ and to sensitise others to their citizenry in this community too.

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0he post-colonial critique reveals that concepts of war and peace have been shaped
and enforced by dominating factions such as former colonial powers that constitute
the Western world. It criticises the Western -centric perspective on war and peace,
and stresses the need to promote a µpositive peace¶ focusing on the promotion of
people¶s development ± from a Peace Philosophy perspective rather than from in
reference to the dominating West. According to the post-colonial critique, positive
peace and development must be achieved at the expense of no-one or no group,
through a pluralistic globalisation, rather than through a totalitarian globalisation
paradigm.

I strongly support the post -colonial critique as it acknowledges and places

importance on the coexistence of all and mixed races and hybrid identities. It adopts
the concept of cosmopolitan localism, thereby valuing each individual and his/her
characteristics while emphasising the unifying bonds that we all share, and that can
be used to reconstruct each person¶s competencies such that peace and its
education can be promoted and achieved.

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0hese statements explain that different perspectives, such as the one supported by
Peace Philosophy, understand identity as a concept constructed by social, cultural,
political and historical circumstan ces and shaped by factors such as existing power
structures. All of these variables feed into the construction of each person¶s hybrid
identity, which, by this definition, is never µontologically essential¶ but is made to
appear as pre-given and natural by social constructions.

I believe that it is easy for individuals to make assertions and assumptions about
one¶s own and other people¶s identities based on social constructions such as
appearance or accent. However, to see beyond the effect of social cons tructions and
to understand and appreciate the hybrid nature and value of each individual¶s
individual identity is of fundamental importance if we are all to become citizens of
world. Viewing other peop le as different because of differences between one¶s o wn
identity and theirs can facilitate suspicion, domination and war. However, v iewing
other people and oneself as all possessing the common trait of having a hybrid
identity ± irrespective of the individual constructions that feed into each of those
identities ± can facilitate dialogue, understanding, education and empathy between
people and can enhance each p erson¶s ability to work with others to promote and
create peace. I hope that my growing understanding and appreciation of the hybrid
nature of everyone¶s identity will help me learn to work wi th others to achieve this
goal of peace.