Balancing Cultural Diversity and Social Cohesion in Education: The Potential of Shared Education in Divided Contexts

ABSTRACT

This article considers how the education systems of divided societies have been shaped in response to the experience of ethnic and religious conflict. The analysis identifies two competing priorities in such contexts – the development of social cohesion and the protection of cultural, ethnic and religious identities – and explores how these may be reconciled through a model of ‘shared education’. Drawing on research evidence and recent experience of shared education in Northern Ireland, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Cyprus, we reflect on the advantages and challenges of this model in areas experiencing conflict and division.

Keywords:

• shared education
• intercultural education
• school collaboration
• divided societies

6. Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 The authors recognise that there is ongoing disagreement between the governments of Macedonia and Greece over the use of ‘Republic of Macedonia’ as the country’s constitutional name (Marusic, 2011; Mavromatidis, 2010). Further, they note that, in the absence of agreement on this matter, the term ‘Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia’ (commonly abbreviated to ‘FYR Macedonia’) is preferred by international organisations including the United Nations and European Union. Consistent with this, and with the conventions adopted in respect of Cyprus in this article, the authors employ the terminology of the UN and refer hereafter to ‘FYR Macedonia’.

Additional information

Funding

This work is supported by funding from Atlantic Philanthropies.