The role of school-based contact in reducing social distance: qualitative insights from Northern Ireland and the Republic of North Macedonia

ABSTRACT

Education plays an important role in bridging divisions and promoting positive intergroup relations. A number of initiatives aimed at improving relations in conflict-affected societies have been based on the contact hypothesis. However, very little attention has been devoted to the potential of such interventions to reduce social distance between groups. Moreover, the voices of the young people involved in such programmes have rarely been taken into consideration. This paper tries to address these gaps using a qualitative methodology. It presents the views and experiences of post-primary pupils involved in planned educational contact encounters in two countries that have experienced interethnic violence: Northern Ireland and the Republic of North Macedonia. The findings suggest that planned contact can be effective in reducing social distance. However the programmes need to provide opportunities for more frequent meetings, more personalized communication between pupils, and the sensitive exploration of contentious issues to ensure long-lasting changes.

KEYWORDS:

• Intergroup contact
• social distance
• intergroup relations
• peace education

Geolocation information

The research was conducted in Northern Ireland and the Republic of North Macedonia. The latter (formerly ‘The Republic of Macedonia’) officially adopted its current name in February 2019. Though our data were collected before this date, our paper reflects the updated nomenclature.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data used in this project are available from the authors upon reasonable request.

Notes

1. The Twelfth (of July) is the festive day commemorating the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 and is celebrated almost exclusively by the Protestant/loyalist community. St Patrick’s Day commemorates the patron saint of Ireland and tends to be celebrated more by Catholics than by Protestants.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by the Open Society Foundations and the Atlantic Philanthropies;Atlantic Philanthropies;Open Society Foundations [IN2015-23584];

Notes on contributors

Ana Tomovska Misoska

Ana Tomovska Misoska obtained her PhD from the School of Education, Queen’s University Belfast. She holds the post of Associate Professor at the University American College Skopje. She has been involved in a number of research projects in Northern Ireland as well as the Republic of North Macedonia and has a number of international publications. Her research interests include development of ethnic identity; use of contact hypothesis and promotion of better intergroup relations in post-conflict societies; the role of culture in interpersonal and intergroup relations; and using education as a tool for development in transitional economies.

Rebecca Loader, 69/71 University Street, Belfast, BT7 1HL, [email protected].

Rebecca Loader is a Research Fellow within the Centre for Shared Education at Queen’s University Belfast, where her research focuses on the potential and development of shared education in international contexts including Cyprus, Israel and Macedonia. Her research interests more broadly include education and peacebuilding, intercultural education, faith schools, and intergroup relations, and she has published on these subjects in leading education journals.