How two oral traditions teach for peace: commonalities in how oral Inuit and oral Islamic traditions teach for peace

Abstract

This thesis conducted an empirical study to assess how oral Inuit and oral Islamic traditions teach for peace. The initial thesis was premised on two categories: I argue that within oral Inuit and oral Islamic knowledges are principles of peacekeeping and peacemaking. The first principle of peacemaking within both these traditions is self-temperance, or starting peace with oneself. This empirical study consisted of 5 interviews; 3 of these interview respondents identified as Muslim, while 2 interview respondents identified as Inuit. The interview results were presented through the lens of the Inuit Qaujimajatugangit (“IQ”) framework and findings, and discussion was presented after the data analysis. During the empirical research, the following findings were uncovered: all participants proposed a synonym for peace; that peace fosters and facilitates other virtues; that modelling is necessary to teach peace; that peace education requires strategic problem solving; and that learning from other traditions can augment our own peacemaking sbilities and help us better understand how religion influences our understanding of peace. Some of the lessons identified for school settings include the following: peace starts in the mind; the powerless can create and feel peace; peace requires acceptance of and promotion of diversity and plurality; peace should be taught through stories and oral traditions; and that, storytelling has to go hand in hand with modelling.