ABSTRACT
Peacebuilding education tends to function at the level of the state, with pax romana—the cessation in hostilities—conceived as the uneasy peace that can exist between nations. The educational discourse of states as harbingers of peace focuses on learning about universal human rights, lobbying of the state through civil society, and the promotion of transitional justice mechanisms. Nationalism at the university is manifest in two ways. It is initially realized through the emphasis on cultural representation in the institution with students coming from over 60 different countries. In itself nationalism and the state-orientation are not necessarily problematic unless it operates at an unknowing or taken-for-granted level. Peacebuilding educational initiatives have tried to tackle the criticisms of nationalism, colonialism, and rationalism in myriad ways. In conclusion, the field of peacebuilding education has tended to focus on national, colonial, and rational discourses, such as Western conceptions of the state, state-oriented protections of human rights, and critical democratic pedagogy.
