Mainstreaming Peace Education in Filipino Children's Literature: Implications for a Culture of Peace Building

By Rosario Torres-Yu.

Published by The International Journal of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

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Article: Electronic	$US5.00

This paper aims to contribute to peace education initiatives. A critical review of mainstream children's literature in the Philippines in terms of themes and values related to peace and conflict precedes a discussion of alternative sources for children's stories from traditional, ethnic literature. The review is informed by an understanding of the multi-dimensional character of peace education efforts. A recent study on peace education in the country recommends the need to develop a critical mass of people who will reject war and violence and advance a culture of peace by expanding the reach of education campaigns to include those sectors that have hardly been reached. Children, especially those belonging to the UNICEF defined group who needs special protection (CNSP) may best participate in peace education thru children's stories. The writing, production and use of children's stories to this end, however, require a vigorous campaign to change the way people think and feel about peace and violence. As an initiative, writers of contemporary stories for children should be provided with the rich resouce of traditional, ethnic literature to enable them to become agencies of behavior change among Filipino children. There are many inspirations for this task which are already found to exist in the culture which the writers only need to re-discover.

Keywords:	Peace, Peace Education, Children, Stories, Folk Literature

The International Journal of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, Volume 2, Issue 2, pp.223-236. Article: Print (Spiral Bound). Article: Electronic (PDF File; 574.954KB).

Prof. Rosario Torres-Yu

Professor, College of Arts & Letters,, Department of Filipino and Philippine Literature, University of the Philippines, Quezon City, Philippines

Tenured professor at the University of the Philippines, authored and co-authored several researched based books on Philippine Studies ( language, literature, gender studies, labor movement). Writes mainly in the national language of the Philippines, Filipino, as part of her advocay to participate in the production of nationalist discourse to counter the hegemonic influence of colonial education and culture, the country having been colonized by more than three centuries. Dr. Torres-Yu was Visiting Professor of Philippine Studies at Osaka University of Foreign Studies, Japan,( 1988-1992) and returned to her mother university where she continues to teach. She also writes creative non-fiction and children's stories. Peace education and literature are her current interests which she intends to pursue from here on in order to contribute to peace building in her counrty. She obtained her Ph. D in Philippine Studies in 1987, after the people power revolution, from the University of the Philippines. She has served in administrative positions in the same university as chair, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Dean of the College of Arts & Letters.

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