Education: A Medium for Conflict Resolution at the Micro Level

• Author: Barbara Thomas-Holder, Paulette Henry
• Pages: 436-452

Education: A Medium for Conflict Resolution

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BARBARA THOMAS-HOLDER, PAULETTE HENRY

University of Guyana

Education: A Medium for Conflict Resolution

at the Micro Level

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Introduction

This analysis is motivated by efforts to

present an explanatory framework for conflict

situations, which permeate all levels of society,

and the seeming impotence of many resolution

strategies. Thus, this paper aims to show that

conflict is a learned behaviour. It also identifies

the relationship between culture and the

learning of conflict behaviours. Through an

eclectic approach to theory use, this paper

also seeks to present a framework for action.

Conflict has been with us since time

immemorial; Cave dwellers settled disputes

by bashing each other over the head with

large clubs and the Holy Bible is replete with

incidents of violence and conflict, for example

the slaying of Abel by his brother Cain, and

of Goliath by David with a stone. Neighbours

fought disputes with ‘paling’ staves and the

like until we are at the stage where disputes

are resolved either by guns or through the

judicial system. Of course there are many

other alternatives to this process.

However, society has evolved, bringing

with it changes in both social institutions and

the nature of social interactions. The growth

and development of society have resulted in

‘an increasing incidence of change conflict

and confrontation’.1 In addition, Senghaas2

opined that societies are highly ramified, and

people within them play out a variety of roles

which reflect their wide span of loyalties. Both

conflict theorists and real life experiences show

that where people have highly diverse roles,

it is conceivable to achieve peaceful, social

relations. This dynamic can be attributed to

the complex nature of modernizing modern

societies.

Although the negative impact of conflict can

be experienced globally, its impact on poor

and developing countries which do not have

the financial or human resources to cleanse

this scourge is usually devastating. The

problems experienced by poor countries are

related to poor governance, corruption, social

problems, low wages, et cetera. These all have

the potential for conflict. In Guyana the gravity

of the situation warrants constant dialogue and

debate to develop a clearer understanding of

the phenomenon at all levels of society. The

country is one of the poorest countries in the

Americas. Historical trends have shown that

for more than two decades more than 40 per

cent of the population lived below the poverty

line.3 The pervasiveness of poverty in Guyana

is primarily due to poor economic policies,

weak regulatory and institutionalized support,

inadequate infrastructure and deteriorating

social services.4

Thus, this analysis will be largely confined

to Guyana, a poor country which continues to

experience its fair share of conflict in every

sphere of activity and will continuously point

to the experiences at the micro level. In

focusing on Guyana, the primary purpose is

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to provide a culturally sensitive understanding

of the phenomenon and resultantly present a

workable framework for action. In particular,

the paper will seek to use educational tools to

propose appropriate behavioural changes.

Increasingly, civil society has expressed its

frustration with the escalation of the myriad

conflict situations which prevail within the

Guyanese society. Increasingly, reports of child

abuse, domestic violence, neighbour disputes

and family discord inundate both the formal

and non-formal welfare sectors of society. Both

sectors are unable to cope with the magnitude

of the problem primarily since they lack the

resources and expertise to address these.

The multi-ethnic and multi-cultural

landscape of Guyana has been a major

contributor to the escalation of the Guyana

conflict situation. This problem appears to be

used as a marketing strategy by political parties

engaged in politicking and contributes to the

widening ethnic divide. Though culturally rich,

enough opportunities are not utilised to

encourage constructive engagement and the

results are mere palliatives which do little to

address the problem.

In seeking an explanation of this conflict

phenomenon, the assumption mooted is that

conflict is a learned behaviour and is acquired

through the educational process. It is the view

that most of this learning is accrued at the

micro level in the home, family and community

and that much of the learning is guided by

culture. Interactionists maintain that

explanations of social life are to be found at

the micro level, at the level of social interaction

among individuals. Thus interactionists tend

to study small groups within society rather than

society as a whole.

To test this assumption, discussions on

culture will be provided, theories of learning

will be explored so that the process by which

conflict behaviours are acquired will be

systematically disclosed and concomitantly,

behaviours to influence learning positively and

productively will be proposed. Both

behavioural and cognitive theories will be the

underpinning frameworks which guide this

analysis.

The objectives of this thesis are threefold

as it seeks to:

• Define conflict and how conflict

behaviours are learned.

• Explore how culture influences learning

of conflict behaviours.

• Demonstrate how education can be used

to provide culturally sensitive alternatives

to conflict resolution.

The key questions which this paper

addresses are:-

(i) How are conflict behaviours learned?

(ii) How does culture influence learning?

(iii) Can learning theories be used to

influence behavioural changes?

(iv) Why, at the micro level, education

needs to be the main tool to help

others understand differences and

respond constructively?

The methodological approaches employed

in this presentation are: review of literature,

document studies and anecdotal experiences.

The analysis was guided by the theoretical

underpinnings coupled with the case studies

outlined. It is important not only to identify

how the behaviour is learned, but to

demonstrate that education can be used as a

medium for transmitting culturally sensitive

resolution strategies.

As Figure 1 indicates, the causes of conflict

are many and varied. Interests can diverge

over resources, power, identity, status and

values. In a similar vein, a USAID report5

supports the causes identified above when it

states that typical sources of conflict are

poverty, poor governance, political corruption,

religious and ethnic disputes, competition for

land and other resources and regional

insecurity.