A RELATIONAL APPROACH TO PEACE EDUCATION: ILLUSTRATIONS FROM BESSIE HEAD’S SHORT STORIES

Abstract

Cordial interrelationship enhances peace for development. The problem is that humanity does not seek to unravel the potentials of relational intrigues and their significance in relationship to attain peace around its environs. The emphasis in this paper is in the possibility of harnessing patterns of non-violent relational attitudes of peace toward each other with the hope that individuals can adopt fairness, justice, equity, and human dignity along with other values in the instances of social interaction in relationships. Through a Relational Approach to Peace Education, this paper engages Bessie Head’s “A Power Struggle” and “The Lovers” to emphasize the adoption of non-domination, deliberations, and cooperation as prominent and vital relational precepts that can nurture peace at individual, interpersonal, and group levels of inter-relationships. The analysis of the short stories aims at illustrating consequences of the presence of ‘domination’ in relationships; the absence of deliberations, and cooperation both at the individual and community levels and to show the significance of applying these precepts to attain peace. The essence is to encourage legitimate co-existence and friendship through mutual recognition of the existence of others for peace and development.