Ethnic division in Cyprus and a policy initiative on promoting peaceful coexistence: toward an agonistic democracy for citizenship education

Abstract

This article uses as a point of departure for its analysis a recent educational policy initiative to promote peaceful coexistence in the context of ongoing ethnic division in Cyprus. It is argued that, although it seems as if the teaching of peaceful coexistence is a laudable initiative that can contribute toward unity and democratic state-building for all Cypriots, the insistence on assuming that there are two conflicting and immutable ethnic identities could slow down and be potentially counter-productive to the country’s effort for reconciliation and democratic state-building. The author argues that a framework of agonistic democracy provides the needed critical perspective in education from which to launch an understanding of the community as a contingent achievement of political action. As such, an agonistic framework of democracy in citizenship education suggests the disentanglement of goals for peace and reconciliation from state-sanctioned efforts that appeal to essentialist ethnic identities.