Abstract
This thesis critically examines the role played by international actors from the global North and South in designing education programmes for conflict and crisis contexts. Practitioner discussions and the literature highlight the tensions faced by humanitarian and development actors yet the perspectives and political economy landscape of education programme designers, who play an influential role in education systems, remains under-researched.Taking an interdisciplinary approach, this thesis reviews literature on competing influences one ducation in conflict contexts drawing on Critical Political Economy Analysis (PEA),post-colonial and decolonising theories to analyse the tensions between globalised policies and attempts towards localisation. It employs Paulson & Shanks’ (2023) ‘Injustices Model’ as a lens through which to analyse the historic, structural, epistemic and neo-colonial injustices and challenges in and through education programming. The thesis sets the scene on education programme designers’ ecosystem to better understand their influences, looking at the factors driving education interventions and how practitioners balance the global, technical obligations imposed by donors and moral drive towards equity and social justice.
Using Q-Methodological qualitative interviews with 30 global education programme designers(INGO, private sector and independent actors), this thesis reveals four intersecting view points, offering a nuanced understanding of their perspectives. Q-Methodology brings PEA concepts directly into the hands of practitioners, addressing disjuncture between theory and practice. The thesis deepens the discussion on education actors ‘implicated’ in injustices, by reversing the‘white gaze’ and fostering critical reflection on balancing moral, ethical, and technical tensions in programme design.
Building on the Injustices Model, the thesis proposes a new taxonomy to understand how programme designers interact with injustices. This enables discussion and reflection on the ‘balancing act’ practitioners play and willingness to change the ecosystem and 'rules of the game', with implications for theory and practice towards more equitable, just and conflict-sensitive education programmes.
| Date of Award | May 2025 |
|---|---|
| Original language | English |
| Sponsors | Department for the Economy |
| Supervisor | Kelsey Shanks (Supervisor) & Karl O'Connor (Supervisor) |