Memory politics are often regarded as the "soft" issues contested in the aftermath of political and social upheaval. Yet critical public debates on memory, justice, impunity and reconciliation in South Africa prompted by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) process suggest otherwise. I offer a partial review of some of the key…

This study examined the role of history education for nation building in Ethiopia, Germany Rwanda, South Africa, Switzerland, and USA using a comparative research method. Student textbooks and syllabi were the main data sources. Document review was the principal data-gathering tool and the data was analysed qualitatively. Findings revealed that…

Education should be considered as one of the mechanisms for governments and nations to succeed in a post-conflict process. The purpose of this Review Article is twofold: to explain the importance of education in a post-conflict setting, and to describe a few strategies that post-conflict societies have implemented. In terms of research design, a…

This paper is concerned with three possible theoretical relationships, between education and social, economic and political development, that--(a) education improves society, (b) education reproduces society as it is and (c) education actually makes society worse. The paper then uses South Africa as a case study to critically analyse these…

In this article we draw on data from a two-cycle action research project, in which ways of teaching reconciliation in post-apartheid secondary school classrooms are explored. We undertake a detailed analysis of a selection of artefacts produced by South African students representing their understandings of reconciliation. Initially students' work…

South Africa has been a high-conflict society for nearly 350 years. The first 300 years were characterised by colonial rule with all the attendant conflicts inherent in such polities where dominance over the subjects was achieved by coercive means. This was followed by a more virulent form of racial domination, called apartheid, which…

This curriculum unit is designed for secondary students in twentieth-century history and peace studies. The unit contains three activities from which students gain a better understanding of the dimensions of apartheid in South Africa. The activities are entitled: (1) "Racial Separation," an activity that gives students the opportunity to…

Perhaps more than ever before, educators need innovative and successful approaches to developing the defenses of peace in the minds of all humanity. They have witnessed the consequences of not attending to these needs in the many and varied international, interethnic, and intergroup conflicts around the globe. And while there are a variety of…

This curriculum unit is intended to help students understand the tremendous social and political changes in South Africa that have occurred with the ending of apartheid. The unit contains four modules: (1) "Segregation/Apartheid"; (2) "Effects of Apartheid"; (3) "Transitional Process from Apartheid to Democracy"; and…

This curriculum unit is designed for students to achieve a better understanding of the South African society and the numerous changes that have recently occurred. The four-week unit can be modified to fit existing classroom needs. The nine lessons include: (1) "A Profile of South Africa"; (2) "South African Society"; (3)…

The SEEDS (Service, Education, Economic Development, Science), Inc. program was co-founded by the author as an interdisciplinary project to extend learning experiences with similar-age students from various countries, cultures and backgrounds. The year-long curriculum focuses on the range of South African student and societal experiences. This…

This unit includes objectives, content, and activities to help students actively explore and analyze the changes that have been affecting the people of South Africa since the end of apartheid. The lessons use materials from interviews with people from a variety of South African backgrounds and their perceptions of the changes in their country. (EH)

This interdisciplinary two-week unit simulates a trip to South Africa as part of a U.S. delegation sent to observe what is happening politically, economically, and culturally in the post-apartheid transition. Students explore and experience a number of real-life events and situations which might be encountered on an actual trip. The tasks…

This unit is based upon study of Alan Paton's novel, "Cry, the Beloved Country," and includes a writing component in which students create an original Bill of Rights for the new Republic of South Africa. To create the new Bill of Rights, students study three basic human rights documents and work in groups to write the finished product.…

This interdisciplinary and multi-modal curriculum unit provides a context for studying South Africa in grades 5-12. Three aspects of the post-apartheid Republic of South Africa are highlighted, including: (1) "Revisiting the Past": a brief history of South Africa's political and social climate; (2) "Beginning the…