Understanding conflict resolution philosophically in a school setting

Three different kinds of violence and dialogue

Bibliographic Data

ID12876157
AuthorsAlexandre Guilherme (0000-0003-4578-1894, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, corresponding author)
Year2017
Volume14
Issue2
Pages215-234
Publication date2017-05-04
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Peace Education (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1740-0201 • E-ISSN: 1740-021X
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/17400201.2017.1323728
OpenAlexW2611266837
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited33

According to Galtung, violence can be divided into two kinds: (i) direct violence, which is always physical in a wider sense (e.g. bodily harm or verbal abuse) or (ii) indirect violence that is either structural (i.e. the institution is structurally violent because it is organised so to privilege a group over others; e.g. a strict pyramidal organisational structure) or cultural (i.e. the institution is culturally violent because it encourages or fails to deal with cultural aspects that either privileges or is demeaning towards certain groups; e.g. institutionalised racism or misogyny). Galtung’s theory provides us with three levels of violence, leading us to three different potential forms of conflict. In response to this, I propose a philosophical discussion centred on three distinct kinds of dialogue, each of which explaining forms of conflict resolution dealing with these three kinds of violence identified by Galtung. That is, Buber’s, Levinas’ and Arendt’s conceptions of dialogue, dealing, respectively, with physical, cultural and structural violence. Given that violence has become a growing problem within the education context and that various strategies of conflict resolution have been tried and are being pursued, my discussion will enable those involved in these ventures to gain a better understanding of the problem and of its possible solutions

Conflict resolution · Criminology · Epistemology · Resolution (logic · School violence · Social science · Sociology · Indian History and Philosophy · Peace and Human Rights Education · Philosophy, Ethics, and Existentialism · Psychology · Social Psychology