William L. Smith (2024). Do Holocaust Education Mandates Work?. Phi Delta Kappan, v106 n4 p42-47. In the context of both rising antisemitism in the U.S. and the increasing popularity of states mandating the teaching of the Holocaust in K-12 schools, William Smith asks, are such legislative mandates effective? Can states achieve ambitious goals like preventing future genocides and reducing antisemitism by requiring that students learn about the Holocaust? He reviews the limited research on Holocaust education mandates, and Holocaust education generally, with analysis suggesting that such curriculum mandates may not be having the desired effects on student learning. He poses theories about the factors limiting the effectiveness of these mandates…. [Direct]

Eunjung Lee; Marjorie Johnstone (2024). A Colonial Legacy of Cultural and Epistemic Genocide: Limited Education Access, Family Dislocation and Premature Death of Indigenous Youth in Northern Ontario, Canada. Whiteness and Education, v9 n1 p36-50. Using a philosophical framework of epistemic injustice and epistemic resistance (Fricker, 2007; Medina, 2013), we examine the recent deaths of nine Indigenous youths in a Northern Ontario city, Thunder Bay. We first document various reports and then we interrogate the impact of this violence on Indigenous communities, considering the egregious impact of epistemic injustice as it plays out on a personal and on a systemic and structural level. We theorise ways to counterbalance this systemic injustice and highlight the current efforts of epistemic resistance within the Indigenous community. We close with discussion around historical responses to this long history of cultural and epistemic genocide and how we can interrogate the structural construction of epistemic injustice and further promote epistemic resistance…. [Direct]

Nenadovic, Maja; Somun, Kerim (2021). Teaching about Sexual Violence as Part of Mass Atrocity Crimes: Model International Criminal Court Non-Formal Educational Program. Review of Education, Pedagogy & Cultural Studies, v43 n2 p69-84. The Model International Criminal Court (MICC) was launched in 2005 and has been pushing boundaries of non-formal education. Topics such as crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide were adapted to a methodology and pedagogy suitable for high school students. This non-formal education project has also sparked successful spin-off educational programs such as the Model International Criminal Court Western Balkans (MICC WeB). This paper engages with the subject of teaching about sexual violence within the context of educating youth about crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide through exploring teachers' and students' reaction to these topics within the MICC educational program context. It also explores history teachers' readiness and critical pedagogy ability to use the MICC educational materials related to sexual violence in their history education curricula within the official educational systems in various countries throughout Europe…. [Direct]

Marks, Melissa J. (2017). Teaching the Holocaust as a Cautionary Tale. Social Studies, v108 n4 p129-135. Teaching about the Holocaust as an atrocity of the 1940s misleads students into thinking that it is a genocide occurred, that the world agreed "Never Again," and that the United Nations would prevent future genocides. With genocides in Rwanda, Srebrenica, and Syria occurring in the years since the Holocaust, teachers need to use the Holocaust as a vehicle for teaching about and preventing future genocides. Five main points need to be taught to students, all of which can be shown in the Holocaust and other genocides, specifically: (1) the meaning of genocide and problems surrounding its early identification; (2) the idea that governments are not always ethical or moral; (3) the effectiveness of propaganda; (4) dehumanization; and (5) using one's voice to stand up against injustice…. [Direct]

Panossian, Vicky (2021). Analyzing Diasporic Pedagogical Representations of Historical Violence against Women: The Case of Armenians of the Levant. Review of Education, Pedagogy & Cultural Studies, v43 n2 p165-184. This article focuses on the Middle and High school level history education of a particular minority group within the Middle East, the Armenian diaspora. In this analysis, the target group includes the third, and sometimes the fourth, generation of refugees, therefore, these students are not only entirely Lebanese, but they have also no other understanding of homeland. While portraying a feminist and ideologically fueled narrative, the historical narrative abstains from mentioning any variations of sexual violence against women. While genocide studies have become a fundamental core of Armenian history taught in Middle and High school, it has adopted a two-dimensional view of women. The author proposes the alternation of the current Middle and High school curricula of Armenians of the Middle East in order to portray degrees of sexual violence through genocide studies, without traumatizing the student. The proposed tools for enhancing the lesson plan of the respective classrooms ought… [Direct]

James Miles (2024). Guilt, Complicity, and Responsibility for Historical Injustice: Towards a Pedagogy of Complex Implication. Pedagogy, Culture and Society, v32 n3 p619-635. Recent global reckonings with structural racism and histories of colonialism, slavery, and genocide continue to raise questions about how educators should engage students in questions of historical responsibility for difficult pasts. Recent educational scholarship has explored this issue largely through the lens of concepts such as collective guilt and complicity. This article re-evaluates the concepts of guilt, complicity, and historical responsibility in relation to teaching and learning difficult histories and group identity. Michael Rothberg's concept of "the implicated subject" is offered an as alternative approach for thinking about historical responsibility. The article argues for the development of a pedagogy of 'complex implication' and 'differentiated solidarity' which provides a more nuanced, intersectional, and multidirectional way to teach and learn about interlocking histories of suffering and injustice…. [Direct]

Edita Gzoyan; Narine Margaryan (2025). In Search of Identity: The Armenian Orphans' Magazine "Tun". History of Education, v54 n1 p96-116. During the Armenian Genocide, the Ottoman Empire's Young Turk government forcibly transferred and assimilated thousands of Armenian children into Turkish society. After the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in the First World War, Armenian and international bodies and individuals began to liberate the transferred children. However, they encountered resistance to child identification from both Turkish authorities and some of the children themselves. This study examines the efforts to bring back those child-survivors, many of whom, after being rescued, found it difficult to accept their Armenian identities following their traumatic ordeal. To analyse in what ways the liberated child-survivors were educated, this study investigates "Tun" magazine, prepared by the orphans of the Jbeil orphanage, and presents its history. "Tun" is a unique example of a student press that was guided by teachers, with the aim of reinforcing "Armenianness" in the students and… [Direct]

Divala, Joseph J.; Finchilescu, Gillian; Nzahabwanayo, Sylvestre (2019). What Are the Qualities of Good Citizenship in Post-Genocide Rwanda? High School Teachers Speak through a Q-Methodological Approach. Interchange: A Quarterly Review of Education, v50 n4 p461-499 Nov. Teachers play a crucial role in the political socialization of adolescents. Using Q-Methodology, we explored high school teachers' conceptions of good citizenship in post-genocide Rwanda. Teachers ranked 50 statements, describing a 'good citizen', on a 9-column grid, anchored by 'least important citizenship behaviour' and 'most important citizenship behaviour'. The four perspectives that emerged viewed good citizenship as (a) being mindful or considerate of the 1994 genocide perpetrated against the Tutsi and promoting unity as well as reconciliation among Rwandans; (b) being morally upright and demonstrating a strong sense of patriotism; (c) being politically enthusiastic; and (d) promoting justice. The study argues for a shift towards more critical forms of citizenship. It also advocates the reinforcement of democratic and participatory skills among teachers…. [Direct]

Busch, Christophe (2023). Looking without Seeing: Visual Literacy in Light of Holocaust Photography. Journal of Educational Media, Memory and Society, v15 n1 p147-165 Mar. The Holocaust was one of the most photographed genocides of the twentieth century. Since 1945, images from the liberation of the camps were used as shaming and shocking instruments of visual denazification. Many decades later, these icons are still used in educational contexts such as school textbooks, exhibitions, and documentaries and are presented almost exclusively as mere illustrations and not as independent sources. By approaching the image as a source, this contribution reflects on the different ways of looking at and seeing Holocaust photography. By moving from a purely emotional and illustrative approach to a more integrated visual approach, the complex dynamics underlying the Holocaust and the timeless mechanisms of totalitarianism (victimization, perpetration, and implication) can be better understood…. [Direct]

Obrillant Damus (2024). Regenerative and Restorative Pedagogy: The Foundation of a New Contract for Cognitive Justice. Prospects, v54 n2 p441-449. Regenerative and restorative pedagogy refers to a set of methods and knowledge aimed at regenerating ourselves, regenerating others, and repairing the past and present with a view to human, ecological, and planetary sustainability. It aims to reduce the processes of destructing the self, other humans, and non-humans. The main role of this alternative and transgressive pedagogy is to counter the neoliberal approach of hegemonic education, which contributes to destroying knowledge (epistemicide), identities (identicide), cultures (ethnocide), ethnic groups (genocide), natural environments (ecocide), and animals (zoocide). To achieve these goals, regenerative and restorative education aims to be transdisciplinary; in other words, to transcend the boundaries between disciplines. Regeneration and reparation in education require the creation of citizens capable of understanding that the whole world is one country, and that, wherever we may be, we all share a common destiny…. [Direct]

Skinstad van der Kooij, Kristin; Thomas, Paul (2018). The History Syllabus in Post-Genocide Rwanda. Cogent Education, v5 n1 Article 1541495. This case study examined the questions: How are relations between Hutus and Tutsis portrayed in recent History syllabi in post-genocide Rwanda, and how may the narrative about these relations affect efforts towards educating for peace? The findings were based on a content analysis of four History syllabi for Ordinary and Advanced Levels published by the Rwanda Education Board between 2008 and 2015. These findings indicate that the syllabi promulgate an ethno-nationalist narrative of Rwanda's past. In this paper, we highlight stark contradictions in the syllabi between the goals of reconciliation, unity and critical thinking and the official narrative of blame for the genocide. Although the steadying hand of the ruling party has been credited with much of the success achieved in contemporary Rwanda, this study raises concern about the government's omnipresent role in shaping educational discourse. The final discussion presents the possibility for teachers to contribute to change by… [Direct]

Kwan, Yvonne Y. (2019). Providing Asset-Based Support for Asian American Refugees: Interrogating Transgenerational Trauma, Resistance, and Affective Capital. New Directions for Higher Education, n186 p37-47 Sum. Instead of suppressing the anger and pain associated with war and genocide, Asian American refugees in higher education can be supported to engage their families' traumas to help them better navigate college life…. [Direct]

Meredith McCoy (2024). Pausing and Contributing towards Indigenous Futures: A Pedagogical Reflection on College History Classrooms. Curriculum Inquiry, v54 n2 p182-201. In this article, I explore a pedagogical approach grounded in Native feminist theories and their commitments to place, to relations, to lands, and to more sustainable, just futures. In approaching college history instruction from a place informed by Native feminist teachings, I offer that the college-level classroom can be a space for students to imagine and work towards anticolonial futures as they process hard histories from where they stand. To do so, I draw on self-reflection and an examination of student reflections on their relationships with tribal sovereignty, their perceptions of ethical commitments to Indigenous people, and their understandings of academic collaborations toward Indigenous priorities. This analysis reveals how a pedagogy that embraces "pausing" and contributions to Native nation building can create a classroom space for students to process histories of genocide, build habits of relationality and civic engagement, and work toward more just futures…. [Direct]

Moyo, Cletus; Sibanda, Nkululeko (2021). Resistance, Struggle and Protest against Genocide and Incarceration: The Case of "Talitha Koum — Someone Lied!" and "1983 — Years Before and After". Research in Drama Education, v26 n3 p427-441. This article positions theatre as a site for victims and activists to action their resistance against Gukurahundi related incarceration and human rights abuse perpetrated in the 1980s. Through case studying Talitha Koum and 1983, we examine resistance strategies deployed through theatre performance to expose Gukurahundi violence, invigorate debate and hold public officials accountable. We submit that theatre performance offers a 'liberation' of cultural memory from state regimes of censorship and suppression. We observe that performances served as a form of agentic resistance against the original acts of violence perpetrated during the genocide, and the subsequent 'psychological incarceration' experienced by victims…. [Direct]

Hobbs, Renee; Mann, Isabel (2022). Exploring How Propaganda Constructs the Enemy. Social Education, v86 n6 p407-412 Nov-Dec. Exposure to propaganda can lead to biased attitudes that change the way people speak and act, sometimes without their conscious awareness. Propaganda has historically contributed to systemic discrimination, bias-motivated violence, and even genocide. By comparing historic and contemporary propaganda, students come to understand how people's values can be hijacked through persuasive appeals that activate strong emotions, use oversimplified information, and attack opponents. Teaching students how to identify propaganda is an essential life skill in combating dehumanizing language, ideas, and actions in all its forms. The activities in this article can guide students to confront historic examples of harmful propaganda and help them understand the problem and danger of modern stereotypes…. [Direct]

Thapliyal, Nisha (2023). Unmasking Transnational Hindutva: Activist Knowledge Practices from the Indian Diaspora. Globalisation, Societies and Education, v21 n5 p720-733. Activist research that conducts social investigation and analysis can be the key first step in organising at the grassroots and movement building. This paper critically analyses two research reports titled 'The Foreign Exchange of Hate' (Sabrang/Coalition against Genocide 2002) and 'In Bad Faith' (Awaaz South Asia Watch 2004) produced by progressive activists situated in progressive mobilisations in the North American and British South Asian diasporas. This research was amongst the earliest to systematically investigate and expose the transnational networks and activities of Hindu nationalism. Drawing on the scholarship of Aziz Choudry, I discuss key influences, goals, impacts and costs of these activist research projects. The analysis offer situated insights into the relationship between activist research and movement-building in the context of collective resistance to Hindu nationalism in Eurocentric, liberal multicultural societies…. [Direct]

Davidson, Petrina M. (2018). Secondary Social Studies Curriculum in Post-Genocide Rwanda as Mediated by UNESCO and Post-Holocaust Education in Germany. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Lehigh University. This research examines the interaction between international governmental organizations (IGOs) and national governments around the development of secondary social studies curriculum in post-genocide contexts, with a special focus on the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) involvement with secondary social studies curriculum development in Rwanda. This research also explores the existence and development of a set of international norms and expectations regarding the development of curriculum in post-genocide contexts, a model which can be traced back to Germany following World War II, including both post-Holocaust education in Germany and Holocaust education more broadly. UNESCO, which plays a significant role in the redevelopment of the education systems in developing and post-genocide contexts, uses its international position to influence national level education policy development. Using a conceptual framework that draws on previously used… [Direct]

van Kessel, Cathryn (2018). Banal and Fetishized Evil: Implicating Ordinary Folk in Genocide Education. Journal of International Social Studies, v8 n2 p160-171. Genocide education would benefit from a renewed focus on how ordinary people perpetuate atrocities more so than villains. Ordinary evil is often understood via Hannah Arendt's political theory, which explains how people can contribute thoughtlessly to genocide. This "banality of evil" explains an important aspect of human behavior, especially when understood in conjunction with Elizabeth Minnich's work on intensive and extensive evil, as well as with Stanley Milgram's research on obedience. Yet Arendt, Minnich, and Milgram do not explain ordinary people who become eager killers. Thus, the addition of Ernest Becker's idea of the fetishization of evil is important. Students would benefit from engaging with Arendt and Becker's theories in tandem, as well as from learning about disobedience and ways to expand fetishized perceptions of others…. [PDF]

Dorais, Stephanie; Gutierrez, Daniel; Mutanguha, Freddy; Smith, James M. (2019). Humanity Education as a School-Based Intervention for Healing. Journal of School-Based Counseling Policy and Evaluation, v1 n3 Article 2 p62-70 Dec. Violence is a large-scale public health concern that impacts the mental health of people all over the world. There is a critical need for early intervention strategies that prevent violence and foster humanity and well-being. Traditional approaches to violence prevention focus on inhibiting antisocial behavior, overlooking the benefits of promoting positive values, humanity, and prosocial behavior. Aegis Trust is an international organization dedicated to the prevention of future genocides and promotion of humanity globally through education. It developed an educational methodology that has shown evidence of effectiveness in recovering from trauma, promoting humanity, and preventing violence in post-genocide Rwanda and other countries that have experienced conflict. This program, known as Champion Humanity (CH), was found to increase positive behaviors and attitudes. The purpose of this article is to describe the core principles of Humanity Education, the CH program, and propose its… [PDF]

Lam, Kevin D. (2019). Critical Ethnic Studies in Education: Revisiting Colonialism, Genocide, and US Imperialism–An Introduction. Equity & Excellence in Education, v52 n2-3 p216-218. A critical ethnic studies in education is a way to extend or push notions of equity and justice in education. It is necessary given the deleterious impact of neoliberal policies and practices that support an a historical, apolitical, and non-materialist understanding of history. The four articles in this symposium offer a critical comparative studies in education and provide a basis of analysis around themes like genocide, colonialism, and imperialism…. [Direct]

Thida Kheang (2024). Leading Educational Reconstruction in Post-Conflict Cambodia: Perspectives of Primary School Leaders. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, v52 n1 p189-207. Despite the growing academic interests in educational leadership recently, hardly any of it has focused on post-conflict situations. This paper seeks to generate an understanding of the perspectives of primary school leaders in post-conflict Cambodia on the issues they face in the process of educational reconstruction and development and the strategies they adopt to deal with those issues. A qualitative research approach within the interpretivist paradigm was adopted to guide the study. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data with 20 primary school leaders. Data were analysed using grounded theory data analysis methods, namely, open coding and analytic induction. The study argues that while there has been substantial progress in educational reconstruction generally in post-conflict Cambodia, primary school leaders face multiple issues in their day-to-day work. Some of the issues may be specifically attributed to the legacies of armed conflict and genocide while others… [Direct]

Burke, Jacqueline; Clarke, Ivan; Harrison, Neil (2023). Risky Teaching: Developing a Trauma-Informed Pedagogy for Higher Education. Teaching in Higher Education, v28 n1 p180-194. This paper presents the results of a three-year study of the impacts of teaching about the experiences of trauma on students studying to become teachers. The project's overarching objective is to develop an effective trauma-informed pedagogy that can support students who learn about the experiences of the 'Stolen Generations', the Holocaust, wars, and genocide. Following a presentation from a member of the Stolen Generations, students reported strong emotional impacts, indicating heightened arousal and defensive dissociation. Results indicated that effective teaching about the experiences of trauma must be accompanied by management processes that will mitigate the potential detrimental emotional impacts on such learning. We conclude that the reflexive power of narrative can implicate the student in her or his own life, as well as in the lives of others. Of critical importance is a recognition that both Indigenous and non-Indigenous lives are bound to one another in contemporary… [Direct]

Taka, Miho (2023). When Education in Emergencies Fails: Learners' Motivations for a Second Chance Education in Post-Conflict Rwanda. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, v53 n2 p217-234. There has been an increasing effort to deliver Education in Emergencies (EiE) from the international community since the 1990s because of protracted humanitarian situations. Despite the growing attention to EiE, many children in conflict-affected situations miss schooling without having the opportunity to receive a second chance education (SCE), or voice their perspectives on this situation. Given the gaps within EiE, this paper focuses on the largely overlooked issue of out-of-school children and young people resulting from conflict, and potential for an SCE. Based on 23 life story interviews conducted in Rwanda, it examines how learners in post-genocide Rwanda made sense of the complex education journey that they undertook and their motivations for an SCE. The research demonstrates various motivations, including both intrinsic and extrinsic, using self-determination theory. It provides learners' perspectives on education that are currently missing in the EiE field…. [Direct]

Choate, Peter W.; MacLaurin, Bruce; St-Denis, Natalie (2022). At the Beginning of the Curve: Social Work Education and Indigenous Content. Journal of Social Work Education, v58 n1 p96-110. Canada, like other nations with colonizing histories and ongoing colonial practices marginalizing Indigenous peoples, is searching for pathways leading to reconciliation. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission called on the social work profession to engage in the decolonization of social work structures and processes, including how it educates entrants in the profession. This article reports on a project that used focus groups with social work faculty in two Canadian universities to explore perceptions about the ways change might be accomplished. From faculty viewpoints, four main themes are identified: coming to know about colonization, assimilation, and genocide; struggling with whose story it is to tell; questioning individual and collective responsibilities in decolonizing social work; and accepting truth first and trauma stories for reconciliation…. [Direct]

Dunn, Joe P. (2019). The Politics of Evil: Teaching a Political Violence Film Course. History Teacher, v52 n3 p499-522 May. Joe Dunn has been a college professor for over forty-eight years. He teaches courses on the Vietnam War, the Cold War, Middle East conflict, and Revolutions and Totalitarian Regimes. The number of wars has increased, and his courses address other areas of national security, terrorism, and political tyranny as well. The course discussed here had its origins in a 2008 offering specifically on genocide. His students were/are at least aware of the Nazi Holocaust, although, despite focus on the subject in recent decades in the public schools, deeper understanding remains superficial. They remain largely oblivious about the Armenian, Cambodian, Balkan, and Sudanese genocides. Over the last decade, his course grew beyond genocide to include other areas of violence as well, and films became more and more central in the pedagogy. The model outlined in the article is a films course. A whole course could be offered on any one of the topics covered in the films, but on the eternal issue of… [PDF]

Albert Sangr√ ; Juliana Elisa Raffaghelli; Stefania Manca (2024). Participating in Professional Development Programmes or Learning in the Wild? Understanding the Learning Ecologies of Holocaust Educators. British Educational Research Journal, v50 n1 p307-330. Holocaust education, which refers to the teaching and learning of the Holocaust–the systematic genocide of six million Jews by Nazi Germany and its collaborators during World War II–is an essential component of history and social studies education in many countries. Its primary aim is to raise awareness of the Holocaust, promote understanding of its historical significance and develop critical thinking and empathy in students. However, despite the increasing specialisation and institutionalisation of Holocaust education, there is still a lack of understanding of how Holocaust educators acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to teach the subject effectively. This study aims to explore the learning ecologies of a group of Italian Holocaust educators, focusing on their motivations for initial and lifelong learning and their learning practices. Ten in-depth interviews were conducted with teachers from different subject areas. The results showed that participants were driven by… [Direct]

Tha, Na Gya; Wus, Thay (2017). Aa Ah Nak. Cogent Education, v4 n1 Article 1390821. In this article, Aa Ah Nak, the authors' methodology presents not only various reflections but also diverse contradictions about the Aa Nii language as well as language revitalization. This article explores language foundation and how the Aa Nii language revitalization is inextricably linked to the genocide and resulting historic trauma pervasive in today's Aa Nii communities. This article provides salient examples of clashing worldviews around these revitalization efforts and offers solutions on how to walk through language genocide and to empower Aa Nii people…. [Direct]

Taka, Miho (2020). The Role of Education in Peacebuilding: Learner Narratives from Rwanda. Journal of Peace Education, v17 n1 p107-122. This paper examines the role of education in post-conflict recovery and peacebuilding, because there is a limited evidence base, specifically from the learners' point of view. The findings from Rwanda, where education was used for discrimination and marginalisation throughout its history and is now a pillar of national unity and reconciliation in the post-genocide education reforms, contribute to the literature on education and conflict. They have highlighted two unique roles of education in peacebuilding: providing cognitive rewards and transforming the values of learners, which enables humanisation…. [Direct]

Karami, Sareh; Parra-Martinez, Fabio Andres (2021). Foolishness of COVID-19: Applying the Polyhedron Model of Wisdom to Understand Behaviors in a Time of Crisis. Roeper Review, v43 n1 p42-52. We live in a world and a time full of challenges. Social inequality, discrimination, global political instability, wars, genocides, terrorism, nuclear and biological weapons, climate change, waste disposal, and species extinction, among others, are constant threats. These pressing issues require attention and solution. Wisdom rises as the overarching construct to holistically address complex human phenomena. Using the Polyhedron Model of Wisdom as a framework to analyze crises, the authors address the current COVID-19 pandemic. People's and leaders' reactions to the crisis are evaluated using seven Wisdom components: knowledge, intelligence, creativity, self-regulation, openness and tolerance, altruism and moral maturity, and sound judgment. Implications of the implementation and promotion of wisdom for ethical problem-solving are discussed…. [Direct]

Mahrdt, Helgard (2022). Responding to Wrong Doing. Ethics and Education, v17 n2 p197-210. I argue that educators, by introducing young people to various ways of responding to wrongdoing, help prepare them for the task of acting in and taking responsibility for the world. I begin by (a) introducing Hannah Arendt's understanding of the world, the characteristics of action as unpredictable, boundless and irreversible, i.e. the frailty of human affairs. I then move to (b) what Arendt calls the 'power of forgiveness.' Forgiving is an action, and as such is free and unpredictable. Moreover, (c) forgiving concerns the person not the deed. To understand the implications of this, I introduce Arendt's understanding of being a person in distinction to being merely human. I then ask whether all deeds are forgivable, which brings me to (d) the new crime against humanity. Finally, I ask (e) whether one can be reconciled to acts, such as genocide and whether solidarity with the wrongdoer is possible…. [Direct]