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This article presents Moral Exclusion Theory as a way to systematize the study of complex issues in peace education and to challenge the thinking that supports oppressive social structures. The authors define its 2 key concepts: moral exclusion, the limited applicability of justice underlying destructive conflicts and difficult social problems; and moral inclusion, the emphasis on fairness, resource sharing, and concern for the well-being of all underlying peace building. They demonstrate the relevance of Moral Exclusion Theory in 4 key areas of peace education: (a) education for coexistence, (b) education for human rights, (c) education for gender equality, and (d) education for environmentalism. They then describe 2 common issues faced by schools, bullying and textbook bias, to demonstrate that moral exclusion is common and how students and staff can redress it. The article concludes with the challenge to use peace education as a tool for moral inclusion and for bringing about a world in which justice applies to all.
THE WORLD CAN BE A frightening place. Each generation has seen too much violence and too many deaths. Many kinds of conflicts-international, regional, intergroup, and interpersonal-damage people, communities, and the natural world. Conflicts can also change the world, socially and ecologically, and prompt vast human migrations in response to political violence, poverty, and ethnic and religious tensions. Though dreams of peace are as old as humanity, a sustained peace remains elusive.
Consistent with the purpose of this journal, we-a psychology of injustice researcher, a peace educator, and a high school teacher who is a graduate student in conflict studies-bring a theoretical lens to peace education. We do so enthusiastically because theory offers teachers a systematic way to present complex issues. Theory proposes interconnections among related elements and suggests a sequence of steps that can achieve change. This article describes moral exclusion theory (Opotow, 1990, 1995) as a useful tool for peace education. As we will explain, moral exclusion captures the dynamics underlying destructive conflicts and difficult social problems, whereas its counterpart, moral inclusion, captures the dynamics of peace building in its emphasis on fairness, resource sharing, and concern for the well-being of all.
We begin this article by defining conflict and peace and describing their relevance to peace education. We then describe moral exclusion, moral...