The Georg Arnhold Program on Education for Sustainable Peace
The Georg Arnhold Program aims to promote research into education for sustainable peace. Its focus lies particularly on educational media and curricula at secondary school level in both post-conflict, transitional societies and Western democracies. The program seeks to develop new concepts to the end of maintaining and stabilizing peace within society. It is a response to the rising demand for sustainable, regionally sensitive, and grassroots approaches to establishing or strengthening a culture of peace and sustainable development, which represent key challenges for present and future generations.
The American benefactor Henry H. Arnhold (1921-2018) instituted the program at the Georg Eckert Institute in 2013 to honor the legacy of his grandfather, Georg Arnhold (1859-1926) who was a German banker, patron of the arts and committed pacifist.
During the first funding phase of the program (2013-2019) eight researchers came to the Institute for the Georg Arnhold Visiting Professorship to work on their projects in different areas of education for sustainable peace. They discussed their research and findings with an expert audience at the annual Arnhold Symposium and contributed with their expertise to the International Summer School.
Since 2020 the program consists of three components: the Georg Arnhold Senior Fellowship, Fieldwork Scholarships in projects of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and the International Georg Arnhold Summer Conference. These adjustments to the program aim to strengthen the link between academia and practice, further international cooperation and the translation of relevant research findings into practical recommendations and initiatives.
The Georg Arnhold Senior Fellowship is awarded annually for a stay of between three and six months in Braunschweig and gives the fellowship holders an opportunity to conduct research projects or to complete work on major publications without teaching or administrative obligations.
The annual one-week International Summer Conference brings together experienced academics, junior researchers and practitioners working in the field of peace education. Part of the Summer Conference is a one-day workshop, organized and facilitated by the IRC, which serves as a kick-off event for the Fieldwork Scholarships.
The Fieldwork Scholarships aim to build a bridge between theory and practice by bringing academic expertise into the field of peace and development work. Each year up to five scholarship holders will conduct work and research in specific IRC projects around the world, thus advancing their own research and the respective projects.
The work of the Georg Arnhold Program is supported by the Academic Advisory Board in an advisory capacity. The members of the board also select the next Senior Fellow at the annual meeting of the program.
Previous Fellows of the program who are pursuing extended collaborations with colleagues at GEI and the Georg Arnhold Program have the opportunity to continue their work as Arnhold Associates.
