A Peace Education Model for Aligning the Aim of Indigenous People for Self-Determination with the Socio-Political Aims of Government: Bangladesh Context

Abstract

This article addresses the challenge indigenous cultures in South Asia face in their struggle for self-determination and to have their distinctive identity officially recognized. In such struggles, the focus is often on the extent to which the government is either supportive of the rights of indigenous cultural groups or guilty of violating their rights. In this respect, human rights are seen as a manifestation of good governance, and human rights violations are an indication of bad governance, consequently a source of social conflict. This is especially important when engaging in peacebuilding in contexts where social groups feel that their struggle to realize their rights results in a conflictual relationship with the government. This article explains a peace education model for achieving the aim of greater self-determination by transforming what was regarded as opposition to government into common goals based on shared values and the agreement to cooperate to achieve the shared aim of human, social, and sustainable development.