Date of Award

Spring 2013

Document Type

Restricted Thesis

Terms of Use

© 2013 Hannah M. Kurtz. All rights reserved. Access to this work is restricted to users within the Swarthmore College network and may only be used for non-commercial, educational, and research purposes. Sharing with users outside of the Swarthmore College network is expressly prohibited. For all other uses, including reproduction and distribution, please contact the copyright holder.

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Peace & Conflict Studies Department, Sociology & Anthropology Department

First Advisor

Lee A. Smithey

Abstract

Northern Ireland is a divided society deeply in need of reconciliation. Despite the signing of a peace agreement,the Belfast Agreement, fifteen years ago, it is still not uncommon for bombs to go off or for there to be sectarian rioting. In order for Northern Ireland to continue moving forward in its reconciliation process, the youngest generations need to be targeted. One of the easiest ways to target this group, since there is well-established compulsory schooling, is through the education system. But how can the Northern Ireland education system be used to promote reconciliation? In order to answer this question I have compiled a theoretical framework of education for reconciliation and compared the current education system in Northern Ireland to this framework. This comparison shows that although the system attempts to address reconciliation through education, it falls short when it comes to translating the theoretical to practical because of its its structure.

Keywords

Northern Ireland, Children and violence, Reconciliation, Social conditions, Social change

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