Beyond violence and abuse : Science education as a site for the construction of peace

This chapter describes possibility in science education when the construction of peace and hope are central to instruction. It presents care and transformation as fundamental for the reconstruction of science education toward peace-oriented citizenship. A case study involving a group of children and nonhuman animals, victims of abuse and marginalization, is described. The study focuses in the interactions that emerged between the children and the nonhuman animals over a ten-day program in an animal sanctuary in Argentina. The EIPAS program (its name in Spanish as Espacios para la Integracion Positiva entre animales y Seres Humanos—Spaces for the Positive Interaction between Animals and Humans) was created in response to the community call for a space where children and nonhuman animal victims of violence, could move beyond abuse and being disadvantaged. As such, it follows some of the founding principles of action research. The program illustrates how peace-oriented citizenship involves more than the human. It describes interactions among humans and other animals that aim to disrupt violence and promote well-being of all beings. Founded on feminist standpoint theory, narratives provoke reconsideration of how our interaction with and understanding of other animals can contribute to disrupt violence and create peace-oriented citizenship.