A Dissertation Entitled Theorizing Justice in Betty Reardon's
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A Dissertation Entitled Theorizing Justice in Betty Reardon’s Philosophy of Peace Education A Gender and Feminist Political Conception by David Ragland Submitted to the Graduate Faculty as partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Educational Theory and Social Foundations _______________________________________ Dale Snauwaert, Ph.D., Committee Chair _______________________________________ Lyudmila Bryzzheva, Ph.D., Committee Member _______________________________________ Mary Ellen Edwards, Ph.D., Committee Member _______________________________________ Lynne Hamer, Ph.D., Committee Member _______________________________________ Betty Reardon, Ed.D., Committee Member _______________________________________ Patricia Komuniecki, Ph.D. Dean of the Graduate Studies The University of Toledo August 2012 Copyright 2012, David J Ragland This document is copyrighted material. Under copyright law, no parts of this Document may be reproduced without the expressed permission of the author. ii An Abstract of Theorizing Justice in Betty Reardon’s Philosophy of Peace Education: A Gender and Feminist Political Conception By David J. Ragland Submitted to the Graduate Faculty as partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Educational Theory and Social Foundations University of Toledo August 2012 Within the field of peace education and related areas, there is a general consensus about the nature of peace and although there are numerous references and mentions of justice, there are no clear descriptions or systematic study of what justice is, in relation to peace. Among peace educators, Betty Reardon's numerous writings articulate, implicitly, a coherent theory of justice. Reardon's approach to peace education inquires into the nature of peace. Reardon asks what peace is, and the question that follows is, “What comprises peace?” From Reardon's perspective, justice is required for peace. As found in the literature, Reardon's peace education writing illustrates consistency and similarity with capabilities. Reardon's perspective of justice, I would assert, is a capabilities approach. Capabilities are a species of human rights that represent substantive opportunities and freedoms that allows individuals to do and be as they choose (and required by human dignity). Reardon’s conception of justice is similar to the prominent capabilities perspectives of Nobel laureate Amartya Sen and University of Chicago philosopher Martha Nussbaum. A clear understanding of what justice is, in relation to peace and peace education, is a useful tool for learning, scholarship and practice. Knowing what justice is informs peace. iii Acknowledgements This dissertation was possible because of the love, support, and encouragement I received from my parents, teachers, and friends. My parents have supported me in many ways and always encouraged me to continue. I greatly appreciate the guidance of my advisor and teacher Dale Snauwart who stood by me and supported me through this learning process and the writing of this dissertation. I am grateful to Tony Jenkins and Janet Gerson for encouraging me to study with Dr. Snauwaert. They were right; I have grown in so many ways because of his patience, belief and view that I am a colleague and not a subordinate. It is rare to meet someone who practices what they teach. Dale has allowed me to explore, learn, and sometimes fail (although with warnings), but in the Socratic way, he has journeyed with me and I know he will continue to do so. I am thankful to all of my teachers and committee who supported me: Drs. Hamer, Edwards, Bryzzheva, Eshelman and Hughes. I am in debt to the contribution of Dr. Betty Reardon, whose work and writing inspired, provoked and transformed my thinking and way of looking at the world. Her prolific scholarship and thinking about the world is insightful and I am convinced that it can contribute to a more peaceful and just world. Thank you for caring, allowing me to work with you, helping me understand your perspectives, and being open to this study. To my friends, who comprise my family and teachers, I have been challenged as a person and learned balance from you all. Kathryn Bradley, Tamiko Armstead, Kathy Crawford, Fuad Al Daraweesh, Andrew Field, Michael Hale, Maria Hantzopolous, Anabelle Jones, Luis Inoa, Imo Imeh, Crystal Overstreet, Michael Lazzaro, Neosha Hayes, Mia Gonzalez and Matthew Sackmann. Thank you and the beloved community for your support, love and friendship. iv Table of Contents Abstract iii Acknowledgements iv Table of Contents v List of Abbreviations ix I. Introduction and Overview 1 A. Introduction 1 B. Philosophical Problem 2 C. Personal Subjectivity and Validity 4 D. Significance of this Study 10 E. Other Identifications of this Problem 24 F. Intellectual-Historical Context of Peace 33 G. Philosophical Framework and Methodology 40 H. Interpretation and Concepts of Peace and Justice 44 I. Questions and Description of Chapters 45 J. The Dimensions of Justice: A Framework of Inquiry 48 K. Hypothesis 52 L. Conclusion 53 II. The Evolution of Reardon’s Conception of Peace Education 54 A. International Understanding 55 B. The War Prevention Years 61 C. Global Justice 71 D. Comprehensive Peace Education 79 v E. Culture of Peace 88 F. Gender Imperative and Ongoing Learning 96 G. Summary and Analysis 100 III. What is Justice? 107 A. Foundation 110 B. Form 115 C. Orientation 120 D. Domain 129 E. Structure 133 F. Distribution 137 G. Scope 141 H. Process 146 I. Moral Resources 153 J Social Conditions 157 IV. Theorizing Reardon’s Conception of Justice 160 A. Foundation 160 B. Form 176 a. Human Dignity 181 b. A Feminist Approach to a Culture of Peace 187 c. A Culture of Peace as a Global Conception of Overlapping Consensus 193 d. Conclusions and Comparison to Prominent Alternatives 198 C. Orientation 202 D. Domain 224 vi a. Overview of Reardon’s Domain 226 b. Reardon’s Conception of Human Security 227 c. Capabilities or Basic Needs 235 E. Structure 246 F. Distribution 266 G. Scope 278 a. Human Dignity, Values and Cosmopolitanism 280 b. Global Community Membership 289 H. Process 292 I. Moral Resources 304 J. Social Conditions 321 K. Conclusions 333 V. Implication and Conclusions 336 A. General Summary 336 B. Implications by Dimension 338 a. Foundation 338 1. Educational Implication of Human Dignity as a Foundation of 339 Justice b. Form 341 1. Political Form of Justice Grounded in Feminist Critique 342 2. Educational Implications of Reardon’s Political Form of Justice 343 c. Orientation 344 1. Defining Peace as a Realization-Focused Orientation of Justice 344 vii 2. Educational Implications of a Outcome-Focused Orientation of Justice 347 d. Domain 348 1. Educational Implications of the Domain of Justice 350 e. Structure 351 1. Educational Implications of Reardon’s Structure of Justice 352 f. Distribution 353 1. Educational Implications of Reardon’s Distributional Principles 353 g. Scope 355 1. Educational Implications of Reardon’s Scope 356 h. Process 357 1. Educational Implications of Reardon’s Process of Justice 357 i. Moral Resources 359 1. Educational Implications of Moral Resources 360 j. Social Conditions 362 1. Educational Implications for Social Conditions 363 C. Limitations, Implications and Further Research 366 References 371 viii Lists of Abbreviations CEDAW....Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women GCD……..General and Complete Disarmament HRL……...Human Rights Learning IIPE………International Institutes on Peace Education IPRA……..International Peace Research Association JFK……… John F. Kennedy MLK……..Martin Luther King, Jr. NGO……..Non-Governmental Association PEC……....Peace Education Commission PJSA……..Peace and Justice Studies Association PRIO……..Peace Research Institute in Oslo UDHR…….Universal Declaration of Human Rights UN………..United Nations UNESCO....United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization ix Chapter One Introduction and Overview Introduction This dissertation argues that Betty Reardon’s perspective of peace education expresses a conception of justice that is consistent with a capabilities approach. Betty Reardon is a globally known peace educator who founded the International Institute on Peace Education (IIPE) and the Peace Education Center at Teachers College Columbia University. She has written numerous books and articles about peace education. This conception comes from the ethical assumptions from her work in peace education. A capability is a substantive freedom and opportunity that allows one to do and be as they choose. The capabilities approach is synonymous with human development. The capabilities approach is concerned with the development of capacities and conditions so that persons have opportunities to do and be as they choose. Human development is the comparative assessment of justice (and injustice) or qualities of lives to determine adequate levels of human functioning as a matter of justice. It is an approach utilized for 1 measurements by the United Nations Development Program and Agencies . Reardon's conception and the basic structure and ideas of the capabilities or human development approach have many commonalities. Reardon’s capabilities perspective offers a view of justice that informs us about the relationship between peace and justice. Reardon’s conception of justice is distinct, and while some might categorize it as a kind of capabilities approach, it offers a distinctive approach to the emerging and important discourse on capabilities.