Peace education in the Moluccas, Indonesia: between global models and local interests

This book examines the impact of peace education projects supported by foreign agencies on the selected schools in the conflict-affected province of the Moluccas, Indonesia. This study reveals that the culturally exclusive orientation of the peace education curriculum - which favors one group over the others - will not help to address the power and social inequality that is deeply-rooted within Moluccan society. The peace-related components in these projects were also too superficial or too little to achieve significant impact upon students.
However, on an optimistic not, the school principal leadership of one particular school - which did not receive specific peace education intervention shows its overriding influence in helping to bridge relations among students and to secure parental and community support regardless of their religion and ethnic background. This school is as an exemplary model where citizenship consciousness is nurtured in an effectual manner. More promisingly, the case of this school shows that people have the capacity to instigate a persistent process of peace education without assistance from foreign agencies.
This book analyses that in a conflict-affected society where power inequality among religious and ethnic groups can still be found, and where competition for power and influence among them is still marred with religious and ethnic sentiment - further exacerbated with traditional belief, which legitimises religious segregation - the conception of identity politics is useful to understand how, and why, interreligious and ethnic tension remains intact in what was supposed to be a post-conflict situation. This study therefore attempts to contribute to the theoretical development on whether peace education can enhance citizenship awareness, the role of education in conflict affected areas in helping to unite the already divided society, and the role of school principal leadership in carrying out school vision.