Dr. Jeremy A. Rinker and Peace & Conflict Studies graduate student Mr. Boukari Saidou recently completed a successful academic exchange trip to India from March 1st to 15th, 2024. This visit reciprocated an earlier exchange in February 2024, when a team from the Central University of Mizoram (MZU) in Aizawl, India, visited UNCG’s PCS department to discuss Peace Education.
Building on Prior Collaboration
The MZU team’s February visit focused on Peace Education, a project implemented by the university’s Education Department under a grant from the Indian government. Dr. Lokanath Mishra, head of the department, is the Principal Investigator on the grant with Dr. Rinker serving as a Co-Principal Investigator. During their stay, the Indian team received a warm welcome and observed classes at UNCG and local schools in the Triad region where Dr. Rinker implements conflict resolution and restorative practices into school curriculum and culture. UNCG faculty, students, and staff, especially Dr. Maria Anastasio, Director of the International Programs Center (IPC), played a key role in hosting the Indian delegation.
Dr. Lokanath Mishra and his research Scholars from MZU on the UNCG Campus in February 2024.
Sharing Expertise in Mizoram
The MZU team’s February visit focused on Peace Education, a project implemented by the university’s Education Department under a grant from the Indian government. Dr. Lokanath Mishra, head of the department, is the Principal Investigator on the grant with Dr. Rinker serving as a Co-Principal Investigator. During their stay, the Indian team received a warm welcome and observed classes at UNCG and local schools in the Triad region where Dr. Rinker implements conflict resolution and restorative practices into school curriculum and culture.UNCG faculty, students, and staff, especially Dr. Maria Anastasiou, Director of the International Programs Center (IPC), played a key role in hosting the Indian delegation.
Dr. Rinker and Dr. Mishra being introduced by the Sociology Head of Department at MZU
Beyond Peace Education: Sharing the Community College System
PCS graduate student Boukari Saidou, an ESL instructor at Guilford Technical Community College (GTCC), presented on the U.S. community college system, a concept unfamiliar in India’s higher education landscape. The UNCG team’s interactions with international students at MZU provided an interesting transnational exchange between America, India, Africa, and Myanmar among other diverse places.
Mr. Boukari Saidou, MA Candidate in PCS provides a lecture at MZU, Aizawl.
Expanding the Network
On their return trip, Dr. Rinker extended the exchange by visiting Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), often referred to as the “Harvard of India,” and Jamia Millia Islamia
University in New Delhi. This further broadened the scope of the exchange beyond Peace Education
Dr. Rinker and Mr. Saidou with Dr. Vivek Kumar, JNU Sociology Professor on JNU campus.
Looking Forward: A Transformative Experience Towards Continued Collaboration
The trip proved to be a valuable learning experience for both Dr. Rinker and Boukari Saidou. The exchange served as a platform for Dr. Rinker and Boukari Saidou to explore peace education in India and compare it to peace education in the United States.
The next phase of the grant is to hold an international conference on comparative peace education in Delhi, India in the summer of 2025. We hope to build upon this momentum to continue to explore the different approaches to peace education in the U.S. and India.
Initial findings are that the U.S. focus on conflict intervention initiatives and learning through doing contrasts with the India emphasis on values-based education and communal peace practices. We look forward to continued discovery and an eventual release of an edited volume of the project’s findings.