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International Institute on Peace Education 2008

July 28 - August 4      Haifa, Israel

“Critical Pedagogy: Educating for Justice and Peace”

  The International Institute on Peace Education (IIPE) 2008 will take place from July 28 to August 4 in Haifa, Israel hosted by the Jewish-Arab Center of the University of Haifa and the Center of Critical Pedagogy of Kibbutzim College of Education. The event is being co-organized by the above hosts and the Peace Education Center at Teachers College, Columbia University in partnership with Global Education Associates. 

IIPE was founded in 1982 by Dr. Betty Reardon and faculty colleagues at Teachers College and has been held annually in different parts of the world. The IIPE is not a traditional conference but rather a “learning community” in which the organizers and participants work together to nurture an inclusive, highly interactive learning environment.  It is an intensive multicultural and cooperative learning opportunity in which participants learn from and with each other about substantive peace issues and interactive teaching approaches. The IIPE is also an opportunity for networking and community building among those who educate and work for a culture of peace in the host region and around the world.  


IIPE 2008 THEME: Critical Pedagogy: Educating for Justice and Peace 

IIPE 2008 will explore the theme of “Critical Pedagogy: Educating for Justice and Peace."  It will deal with issues of dialogical education for social change and the intersection of peace education and critical pedagogy, relating to the question of what kind of peaceful society we are striving for. Peace Education in Israel has concentrated mostly on the Jewish-Arab conflict. Various names describe it: education for co-existence, Jewish-Arab encounter, dialogical groups, neighbors, living with the other, etc. In groups where Palestinians and Israelis sit together and discuss their relationships the historical narratives are often learned. In other parts of the world, however, peace education is called by different names according to the political constraints of the region. 

This year's IIPE will try to examine the complexity of peace education issues in an unequal society. It will strive to explore goals of equal education, schooling despite the pressure of violent conflict, economic justice, the challenges of environmental violence, structural violence, and ties of politics and education.  The IIPE core inquiry will focus on the concept of education for a culture of peace and the social change needed to achieve it. We will seek to examine the link between local-regional problems, global issues, and universal developments, and look for ways to address them in education.  Relevant sub-themes include the relationship between social violence and armed conflicts; issues in education that most affect marginalized populations such as the poor, women, migrant workers, and people with disabilities; the need to raise awareness of global environmental justice issues, small arms control, nuclear threats, poverty, first–third world power relations and the global campaign against sex trafficking.   Thus, the upcoming IIPE will explore innovative ways and educational strategies to enhance social critical consciousness and methods of activism through education.

We encourage each applicant to consider how they might contribute to this exploration from their own experience regionally, as a formal or informal educator, or as an advocate or activist (see application form).  Together, we hope to illuminate the gaps and complementarities of peace education and critical pedagogy.   

For more information and to apply please visit the IIPE website at:

www.tc.edu/PeaceEd/IIPE