Abstract

A half-day conference discussing Schooling as Violence, featuring keynotes by Professor Lynn Davies and Professor Clive Harber.

KEYNOTES

Professor Lynn Davies

I look at the role of schooling in journeys into violent extremism, and at current educational measures to interrupt such pathways. Our research on former extremists and their families (far right and Islamist) confirms a hugely complex mix of factors which predispose people to radicalization. Neither schooling nor church/mosque appears protective. Work on PVE in schools focuses on challenging the black and white thinking that characterizes extremism, through programmes of integrative complexity and value pluralism, as well as by creating positive conflict.

Bio

Lynn Davies is Emeritus Professor of International Education at the University of Birmingham and Co-Director of the social enterprise ConnectFutures. Her interests are in education and conflict, and in education and extremism, and she has done research and consultancy in a number of conflict-affected states such as Afghanistan, Bosnia, Angola and Sri Lanka. Work in UK includes evaluating programmes to counter radicalisation, a project interviewing former extremists about their backgrounds, and training of young people and teachers in preventing violent extremism. Her books include Education and Conflict: Complexity and Chaos (2004), Educating Against Extremism (2008) and Unsafe Gods: Security, Secularism and Schooling (2014). In October 2014 she was awarded the Sir Brian Urquhart award for Distinguished Service to the United Nations and its goals by a UK citizen.

Professor Clive Harber

This talk will examine and discuss different types of violence in schools globally according to their sources – whether they are externally generated, internally generated by omission or directly generated internally. It will then put forward three explanatory factors helping to cause violence in societies before analysing how schools contribute to these three factors.

Bio

Clive Harber is Emeritus Professor of International Education at the University of Birmingham. He has a long standing interest in education for peace and democracy on the one hand and education for violence and authoritarianism on the other. Relevant publications include Schooling As Violence (Routledge 2004) and Toxic Schooling (Educational Heretics Press 2009). More recently his publications include Education, Democracy and Development (with V.Mncube – Symposium 2012) and Education and International Development: Theory, Practice and Issues (Symposium 2014). Schools and Violence: South Africa in an International Context (with V.Mncube – UNISA Press) and Schooling in Sub-Saharan Africa : Policy, Practice and Patterns (Palgrave Macmillan) will be published in 2017.

PROGRAMME

14.00 Lynn Davies

14.30 Student discussant responses and general discussion

15.00 Clive Harber

15.30 Student discussant responses and general discussion

16.00 Break and refreshments

16.30 Panel discussion

17.30 End