The unbearable lightness of being implicated in conflict-affected societies: can teachers do anything about it?

Purpose

In this reflective essay, the authors explore how thinking with the notions of implication and complicity may encourage or hinder efforts to engage teachers in problematizing victim-perpetrator binaries in conflict-affected societies.

Design/methodology/approach

This reflective essay draws on lessons learned from the authors’ long-time work with teachers in Cyprus and Israel. The authors suggest that the concept of implication provides a productive framework for thinking about teachers’ professional responsibilities in more complex and nuanced ways.

Findings

The reflections of the two authors highlight the challenges and possibilities of overcoming essentialist categories of “victims” and “perpetrators” in conflict-affected societies.

Originality/value

This essay shows the (im)possibilities of transforming the prevailing binaries in communities experiencing political conflict.