Honoring the Peacebuilders: In Memory of Betty A. Reardon and Ian Harris

Introduction

Betty Reardon and Ian Harris are recognized as leading scholars in the field of peace education. For over 70 years, they have substantially contributed to the conceptualization and practice of peace education in schools and universities in the United States and globally. Sadly, both of these peacebuilders passed in 2023. But they left an indelible mark on the field.

Betty Reardon was born on the same day as Anne Frank – 12 June 1929 – at the onset of the Great Depression. Among the most important experiences for Reardon in her development as a peace educator were her experiences of WWII as a young child, the later Cold War, and perennial tensions with patriarchy.

Ian Harris was born on 13 August 1943, in the midst of WWII, to a retired British diplomat and a former model. Harris grew up on a small farm in New Jersey and early in his career taught biology, chemistry, and physics at an urban high school in Philadelphia. With a range of rural and urban experiences, Ian led a life of service on communal and global levels, advancing peace education practice and research.

In 2004, both Ian and Betty contributed to the vision and founding of the Journal of Peace Education (JPE). In fact, Ian’s article ‘Peace Education Theory’ was the lead article of the first ever issue of JPE in 2004. In this short editorial, we will briefly sketch some significant achievements of both Betty and Ian. Through our own personal stories, we share the encounters with and lessons that we have each learned from both Betty and Ian across the years. They had a deep impact on many scholars and practitioners in the field. We feel grateful to have learned from them directly.

Brief bio sketches

Betty A. Reardon

Betty was born on 12 June 1929. She was brought up in Rye, New York, where she attended Rye Grammar School and then Rye High School. She held a doctorate in education from Teachers College, Columbia University, a master’s degree in history from New York University, and a BA in history from Wheaton College, Norton, MA. World War II, and then later, the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights movement, and the Feminist movement were formative in the development of her worldview, as well as her father and his colleagues (US Army Officers). In the face of the horrors of world war, she believed, as early as the fifth grade, that there must be an alternative to war, and in the face of racism and sexism she pondered early on the limits and possibilities of justice.

Within these formative experiences were the seeds of Reardon’s fundamental approach to peace, as both the elimination of violence and the establishment of justice. She chose to be a teacher, believing that education was the key to a peaceful and just world. In 1963, she began her work in peace education as Director of the Schools Program with the Institute of World Order. What intrigued and drove her was an interest in war, not as an isolated eruption in human affairs, but as a social system justified by particular ways of thinking. She had a hunch that not only the structures of society, but the structures of consciousness as well, could, and should be, transformed through a comprehensive education for and about peace (Reardon, 1988). Betty Reardon’s life-long endeavor was informed and shaped by this perspective and these formative experiences.

She held prominent roles in the establishment and work of key institutions that define the field of peace studies and peace education, including the founder and long-time director of the Peace Education Center and Program at Teachers College, Columbia University; the founder and director of the International Institute on Peace Education (IIPE); the General Coordinator of the Feminist Scholars and Activists Working for Demilitarization (FeDem); Coordinator of the International Network of Peace Education Centers; the founding Academic Coordinator of the Hague Appeal for Peace Global Campaign for Peace Education; Director of the Peacemaking in Education Program, United Ministries in Education; Executive Secretary of the World Council for Curriculum and Instruction; School Program Director at the Institute for World Order, New York, NY; Associate Director of the Leadership and World Society (LAWS); and a founder of the Peace Education Commission of the International Peace Research Association.

She also held a number of prestigious visiting professorships, including the Savage Chair, Distinguished Visiting Professor of International Relations and Peace, University of Oregon; the A. Lindsay O’Connor Chair in American Institutions, Colgate University; Visiting Professor of Peace, Spark M. Matsunaga Institute for Peace, University of Hawaii at Manoa; Visiting Professor, Kanda University of International Studies, Chiba, Japan; Visiting Professor, Graduate School of International Cooperation Studies, Kobe University, Kobe, Japan; and Visiting Professor, Department of International Relations, Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, Japan.

In addition, Reardon was an accomplished scholar of peace studies and peace education. She published numerous articles, books, book chapters, and reports, and has presented scholarly papers at numerous scholarly meetings. Her essential works include:

• Comprehensive Peace Education (Teachers College Press, 1988);

• Educating for Global Responsibility (Teachers College Press, 1988);

• Women and Peace: Feminist Visions of Global Security (State University of New York Press, 1993);

• Educating for Human Dignity (University of Pennsylvania Press, 1994);

• Sexism and the War System (Syracuse University Press, 1996);

• Tolerance: The Threshold of Peace (UNESCO, 1998);

• Passport to Dignity: The Human Rights of Women (PDHRE, 2001);

• Education for a Culture of Peace in a Gender Perspective (UNESCO, 2001);

• The Gender Imperative: Human Security vs. State Security (Routledge, 2010);

• Betty A. Reardon: A Pioneer in Education for Peace and Human Rights (Springer, 2015); and

• Betty A. Reardon: Key Texts in Gender and Peace (Springer, 2015).

Among her many prestigious awards include: the Pomerance Award for contributions to disarmament efforts within the UN system; nomination and honorable mention for UNESCO Peace Education Prize; the 2000 Jane Addams Peace Activist Award; nomination for the 2005 and 2013 Nobel Peace Prize; the 2010 Sean McBride Peace Prize; and the 2013 El-Hibri Peace Education Prize. All in all, Reardon was a tireless student, exponent, and advocate of peace, justice, and peace education. She mentored and inspired generations of educators, scholars, and activists through her teaching and scholarship. Her collected papers are housed at the Canaday Center at the University of Toledo.¹

Ian Harris

Ian Murray Harris was born in New York City on 13 August 1943, in the middle of World War II. His father was a retired British diplomat and his mother was a former model. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from St. John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland, in 1967. Additionally, he earned a master’s degree in teaching in 1969 and a doctorate in the foundations of education in 1975 from Temple University. He taught biology, chemistry, and physics from 1971–1974 at John Bartram High School for Human Services – a small alternative school in Philadelphia, PA.

From 1976 until 2007, Harris was a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in Wisconsin, USA. For part of that time, he served as Chair of the Department of Educational Policy and Community Studies. As a collaborative and democratic leader, Harris established the Certificate Program in Peace Studies. His dedication to social justice and equity forged his determination to create gateway opportunities for non-traditional students, especially adult students of color from the city, to matriculate and earn college level education for their life experiences and by taking courses through the Department of Educational Policies and Community Studies.

Harris lived a life of selfless service to others. He provided vision and served in many roles to advance the field of peace education nationally and globally. In the early 2000s, he served as the President of the International Peace Research Association Foundation. From 2006–2016, Harris served as a co-editor, alongside Drs. Jing Lin and Edward J. Brantmeier, of a book series on peace education with Information Age Publishing – the first peace education book series of its kind. Ian helped provide vision for the peace education book series and reviewed dozens of book proposals over his ten years of service. He was retired for most of those years of service, thus proving his dedication to the field of peace education. The series produced fourteen volumes in ten years.

Harris was also a grassroots educator and scholar. His work on the community level to improve access and enrollment to college for people of color in Milwaukee. Ian’s efforts to confront and dismantle patriarchy through critical masculinity studies by facilitating men’s groups exemplifies his dedication to peacebuilding and peacemaking. In addition to being a grassroots peace educator, he was a prolific scholar. He published eight books on a wider range of topics, including community development, peace education, and men’s studies. Some of those books include:

• Peace Education (McFarland & Co., 1988; second edition with Mary Lee Morrison; 2003; and third edition in 2013);

• Messages Men Hear: Constructing Masculinities (Taylor & Francis, 1995);

• Books, Not Bombs: Teaching Peace Since the Dawn of the Republic (with Charles Howlett; Information Age Publishing, 2010); and

• Peace Education from the Grassroots (Information Age Publishing, 2013).

Ian also published many articles, book chapters, and book reviews. He was widely sought after for presentations and won multiple awards for his work, including the Peace Educator of the Year Award from the Consortium for Peace Research. He lives on via his scholarly work and the people inspired through his leadership and mentorship in the field of peace education and beyond.

Personal stories

Dale T. Snauwaert, University of Toledo, USA

Recognizing the Potential in Others

I met Betty in the Fall of 1990 at Colgate University. I had just finished my PhD at the University of Illinois and began my academic career as a one-year visiting assistant professor at Colgate that fall. That summer after finishing my dissertation, I ran into a book entitled Comprehensive Peace Education by Betty A. Reardon. I had never heard of peace education and was intrigued, having a core interest in democracy, justice, and democratic education. I read Comprehensive with interest and was both impressed and inspired by the ideas. I hoped to meet Dr. Reardon in the future and perhaps, if fortunate enough, have a conversation with her.

At my first department faculty meeting that fall at Colgate an elegant and charismatic woman was at the meeting whom I didn’t have occasion to meet during the job interviews. The department chair introduced me to her, saying ‘Dale, I would like you to meet Betty Reardon.’ As I responded ‘happy to meet you’ my mind raced with surprise and thoughts of serendipity, synchronicity, luck, and happy coincidence. Betty was at Colgate on a one year visiting distinguished professorship.

My wife Mary and I became good friends with Betty that year and maintained our friendship for the next 33 years. Betty also took an interest in my academic work; she asked to read my dissertation on democracy and education, and then offered to publish it as a book in a series at the State University of New York Press. What was remarkable, and deeply important to me, was Betty’s genuine interest in me and my work throughout the next 30 years. She really saw me for who I was and my potential as a person, educator, and scholar, and provided me with continuous support and inspiration.

Although Betty was my senior and internationally celebrated, I too recognized her. I saw her for who she was, as a gifted educator and scholar, one of far-reaching vision, but also as a loving, generous, and compassionate person. I also recognized her tenacity and fierceness, a powerful woman on a mission!

I have been blessed to know and to work with Betty, she touched my life in ways that I cannot really express in words. She was a bright sun which I and many others orbited, and the light she graced us with lives on in each of our hearts and minds. Her core ideas: universal human dignity and moral inclusion, human rights as the ethical core of peace and peace education, violence understood as dehumanization as the core problematic, the purpose of peace education as the development of political efficacy in terms of the capacities of persons through a pedagogy of reflective inquiry, and her idea of peace and human rights learning shaped the development of my own understanding.

While I do, and will continue to miss her greatly, her legacy of insight, understanding, knowledge, compassion, and light lives on. Her life was indeed a life lived well.

Mary Lee Morrison, Pax Educare, the Connecticut Center for Peace Education, USA

In Memoriam – Ian Harris

We lost a dear friend and a peace pioneer with the death of Ian Harris. Ian was a prolific author and a passionate Quaker advocate for nonviolence and for a better world. Ian was a mentor to so many, and as pointed out in his obituary, his kindness showed through in so many ways. He was a big mentor to me and helped me in my foray into the world of peace education and peace studies.

Ian became a big supporter of my late-age career change and its subsequent trajectory. We met in the early 2000s, at a Quaker education conference. I was a newly minted PhD, having graduated at age 54 from the University of Connecticut in Educational Studies, or as sometimes is called Educational Foundations. We bonded over the idea that we were the only two scholars whom we knew who were both Quakers and educational philosophers. He at that time was already a well-known figure in the peace education field, having authored, among other publications, the seminal 1988 Peace Education (McFarland & Co.). We would subsequently meet again at various conferences, and he would share his love for the outdoors, his passion for the people in his life, and his ‘conversion’ to peace studies from his family’s deep roots in the military, a transformation that he admitted was ongoing. On a trip East, he and Sara were able to stay with my late husband and me for a night or two. He and my husband, Bill, a scientist and consummate advocate for the environment, also bonded over some common interests.

Ian graciously invited me to co-author the second edition of Peace Education (Harris 2003) as well as the third, which was published in 2013. I was honored to do so. He gave free rein in this latter edition for me to take the lead in making some major structural changes and additions which added to the book’s focus on some emerging trends in the field. This included rearranging some chapters and adding new topics, including a focus on economic and environmental sustainability and visioning for the future.

Ian’s interactions were both indicative of his passion for a better world and some impatience that we all needed to just care more, that the world could not wait forever. Nonetheless, he was always open to new ideas. The books we co-authored, in addition to several other articles and chapters on which we collaborated, greatly enriched and enhanced my career and my network of colleagues in the peace education field. I will be forever grateful for his friendship, his active mind, and his passion for peace.

Werner Wintersteiner, Universität Klagenfurt, Austria

Discovering Betty’s Many Qualities

I met Betty for the first time at an international peace education congress in Vermont in 1995. Although she was only able to attend the congress for a short time, her presentation and her way of presenting immediately left an unforgettable impression (not only) on me. I interviewed her and published the conversation in my peace magazine alpe-adria in German. That was my first impression: a renowned peace educator, always ready to share her treasure of experiences with the younger generations. Of course, in this time I also read her book Comprehensive Peace Education (Reardon 1988) which helped me to develop a much deeper understanding of peace education.

My second experience with her was Betty as a global peace education organizer and an inspiring leader of a global peace movement. This was at the 1999 peace conference in The Hague, where the Hague Appeal for Peace was presented and the Global Campaign for Peace Education – an idea of Betty Reardon – was founded by Betty and Cora Weiss. I was so proud to be part of this group of international peace educators from the very beginning, and I have probably never learned so much as in those first years from 2000 onwards, when there were regular intensive meetings of peace educators from all over the world. Betty did not only talk about “Educating for Global Responsibility“(the subtitle of Comprehensive Peace Education), she was also able to put this into practice.

Soon after, I developed a third face of Betty: She was not simply a worldwide renowned peace educator, she was a kind of peace education institution herself. Well recognized within UNESCO on whose behalf Betty wrote or edited groundbreaking publications (she was also a member of the Jury of the UNESCO Prize for Peace Education and in 2001 she received the honourable mention of the UNESCO Peace Education prize), she used her influence to help establish new peace education institutions. For example, she accompanied the creation of the Europe-wide network of peace educators EURED which I started in 2000. Betty was very supportive when it came to EURED establishing a Europe-wide university course ‘Human Rights and Peace Education in Europe.’ Thanks to her good contacts with UNESCO, it was possible to win this institution as a supporter, which opened many more doors and thus actually made the course possible. In the EURED program, her lectures and workshops were the highlight.

A few years later, her authority again was very important for me to establish a Center for Peace Research and Peace Education at my university in Klagenfurt, Austria, in 2005. Even later, at the age of 80, she did not shy away from the long journey and taught at our center. In 2005, when I spent the fall semester as a Fulbright Scholar at her Peace Education Center at Teachers College, Columbia University, I discovered many more pages from Betty. In addition to being able to follow her path to becoming a peace educator in many long conversations, I also experienced how inspiring Betty was to many other colleagues, e.g. Janet Gerson, Tony Jenkins and Anita Wenden. I understood her even better through the lens of all others who learnt from her wisdom and her personality.

All in all, Betty has inspired, supported and promoted me in all phases of my peace education work since we met the first time. She opened me to the doors, and she opened me to her heart. I will be grateful to her for the rest of my life. I will never stop missing her!

Kevin Kester, Seoul National University, South Korea

Betty and Ian: Inspiring Generations of Peacebuilders

I first met Betty Reardon in 2004 at Teachers College Columbia University in Tokyo. Betty was designer and lead instructor of the peace education program there. For two years, I studied with her during intensive weekend courses, among which included: Alternative Systems of World Order, Conflict Resolution Theory and Practice, Human Rights and Gender, and Peace Pedagogy, among others. I was impressed by her facilitation and ability to generate such fruitful discussions through inquiry-based learning. Rarely did Betty lecture, instead spending the bulk of time problem posing collaboratively with students and brainstorming systemic responses to various forms of conflict and violence from micro to macro levels.

Betty possessed a humble personality, always putting others before herself and acknowledging the cooperative nature of learning. She consistently referenced our ‘learning community’ and emphasized its democratic and dialogical dimensions. For her, the core substance of those lessons was militarization, gender inequality, human rights, and global responsibility. All in all, she taught students to think systematically, to guide learning through inquiry, and to reflect on the pedagogical dimensions of peacebuilding.

After completing the program with Betty in Tokyo, it was her guidance that led me to the Peace Education Program at UPEACE, a program that she too was instrumental in establishing in Costa Rica. Her impact on the program was evident. The MA degree in peace education at UPEACE was theoretically diverse, drawing on scholarship and practice from around the world, with some of Betty’s work interwoven throughout many of the courses. Betty’s work was put into conversation with leading debates and practice in other settings, such as the work of Ian Harris in the US, Birgit Brock-Utne’s work in Norway, the scholarship of Swee-Hin Toh and Virginia Cawagas in Canada and the Philippines, Abelardo Brenes’s work in Central America, and Thomas Turay’s work in Sierra Leone. Thus, Betty’s voice was a shining beacon but also part of a much broader dialogue on the role of education for peacebuilding.

Immediately after UPEACE, I encountered Betty again at the 2007 special session of IIPE held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Since then I have attended two other IIPEs, in Japan (2012) and Cyprus (2019), where Betty’s work remains influential. Betty and I remained in contact over email across the years – with my last encounter at a month-long reading group with Betty, Tony Jenkins, Andria Wisler, and several other peace scholars in the Spring of 2022. She always offered thoughtful and incisive responses to my questions and to the questions of others. She was a mentor to me throughout the years, along with many other peace educators I have met on my peace education journey – many of whom have themselves, too, been influenced by Betty’s thinking.

In 2009, I met Ian Harris at a peace education conference in Hamilton, Ontario, while I was studying for my MA degree in Comparative Education and International Development at the University of Toronto. Ian’s conversation with me concerned the state of the field, and the need for more longitudinal impact assessment of peace education (see his 2003 AERA paper on this topic). He was kind and supportive of me as a young peace educator. His keynote at that conference addressed the need for a more nuanced understanding of masculinity that counters various forms of violence. Though I did not develop an ongoing correspondence with Ian, I was moved by the various ways that he and Betty both placed gender (and other issues of identity) at the core of their work.

In 2019, Dale Snauwaert invited me to contribute a chapter to a Festschrift for Betty’s 90th birthday. That chapter explored Betty’s historical work during the Cold War and its implications for the educational and political challenges of post-truth, fake news, climate change denial, and rising political polarization. In my last interactions with Betty in 2022, her intellect shined through, as did her concerns for gender equity, countering racism, and combating destructive climate change. Betty demonstrated grace, care, and a sharp intellect in all that she did.

Betty and Ian will be missed. Yet, their thinking will continue to guide many newer peace educators for years to come.

Janet Gerson, Education Director, International Institute on Peace Education, USA

Betty Reardon – History Teacher to History Maker

Betty Reardon was my beloved mentor, colleague, and friend. I feel so blessed to have worked and traveled with her. How she loved discovering, learning, eating, catching performances, attending religious services. The places we went! The people we encountered! What I loved most was sharing observations and reflections with her. We met in 1996 in her courses at Teachers College, Columbia University, after we each had participated in the 1995 Beijing UN-NGO Fourth Women’s Forum. I studied with her, taught for her, contributed to the International Institute on Peace Education (IIPE) since 1997, and Co-Directed the Peace Education Center at Teachers College.

Ian Harris was one of the many leading peace educators who visited the Peace Education Center. Both he and Betty were exemplary writers-as-educators who established peace education as an academic field. Their friendly differences were among those that led Betty to promote complementarity rather than competition among the increasing number of peace education sub-themes.

Betty began as a history teacher, transforming herself into a history maker. She engaged her students in history-making by enlisting us as UN-NGO representatives. Our cohort from her special course, ‘Apprenticeship in Global Civil Society’ met every Thursday to attend the UN-NGO Briefings, global forums, and smaller meetings. Through these, Betty engaged us in lobbying. We worked for the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action article on protecting women and girls in violent conflict. Outcomes of this effort included the historic Security Council Resolution 1325 which calls for the inclusion of women in all levels of peacemaking. We supported another ground-breaker, the classification of violence-against-women-in-war as a War Crime in the Rome Statute that formed the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Our involvement with women’s human rights, international law, and building cases for the ICC spurred our trip to Tokyo in 2000 to attend The Women’s International War Crimes Tribunal on Japan’s Military Sexual Slavery. This historic event laid the foundation for my dissertation on a subsequent global civil society tribunal, Public Deliberation on Global Justice: The World Tribunal on Iraq.

Betty’s superb intelligence, listening, and synthesizing skills guided many other working groups in which I participated. The Women’s International Network for Gender and Human Security (WINGHS) grew out of the intention to replace the dominant military/state security paradigm with a feminist/human security reconceptualization. We presented this work at the 1999 Hague Appeal for Peace Conference to Abolish War. Betty also presented with Desmond Tutu, Johann Galtung, Magnus Haavelsrud, Toh Swee-Hin and Linda Lantieri. Another group, Feminist Scholars and Activists Working for Demilitarization (FeDem) was first convened by Betty at IIPE 2003 in Seoul. In FeDem we learned together how to articulate and apply the emerging human security paradigm to the real life activism of the women members working in Okinawa, Afghanistan, India, South Africa, Jordan, and more.

Through Betty’s mentorship and companionship, I became woven into the rich web of global public peace learning and action. My gratitude for Betty’s spirited example continues to energize my dedication to lifelong peace education. How I miss her wisdom and companionship to face on-going challenges.

Colins Imoh, University of Bradford, UK

The Power of Kindness and Empathy

Among the contributors of this tribute, I might have encountered Betty very late; how I wish I had met her earlier. It is with a heavy heart but grateful for a life well spent that I reflect on the life of Betty Reardon, a remarkable human being who left an indelible mark on the world. Though I had only met her a few times, each encounter was an opportunity for deep learning and inspiration, thanks to her soft-spoken words that had a life-changing effect. Betty’s contributions to humanity were immense, and she accomplished so much during her lifetime.

Her work continues to be a beacon of light that inspires and guides us in these tumultuous times. Her legacy is a testament to the power of one person’s impact on the world. As I reflect on Betty’s life, I am reminded of the beauty of ocean waves. The waves are not static; they are fluid and ever-changing, constantly moving forward. Similarly, Betty’s strength, tranquility, and relaxed nature were part of her contributions to the world. Her life symbolized the power of kindness and empathy, and her spirit will continue to inspire for generations to come.

I arrived for my PhD at the University of Toledo, USA, in the fall of 2014, when Betty Reardon’s work was moved to the University. I was thrilled at the prospect of exploring her work and I did enjoy the time spent studying her work. In 2016, I received a grant from the graduate school to organize a two-day seminar, and Betty was the most ideal person to invite. It was an opportunity to listen to her closely for 3 days at lunch, dinner and seminars. I sent her an invitation, and she graciously agreed to come. The event was called ‘Why Study Peace @ UT: The Imperative of Peace Studies within the University Curriculum’ for the university and community, and a lunchtime student event called ‘Share Lunch and Talk Peace @ UT.’

During the two-day seminar that Betty facilitated, I was struck by her energy, patience, and engaging personality. She interacted with various stakeholders and participants with such ease and grace, leaving an impression on everyone she met. Her student session was particularly inspiring, as she connected with the students, answering their questions and illustrating her points with clarity and grace.

At the end of the event, I felt energized and confident about the task of peace education in a globalized world. When I was invited to contribute to the book Exploring Betty A. Reardon’s Perspective on Peace Education: Looking Back, Looking Forward (Snauwaert 2019), it was an honor to study and reflect on her work. It was enlightening as I articulated her contribution to peace education and gender in Africa. This was a great honor.

Looking back and looking forward, Betty’s work is immortal. She was exceptional, and those who knew her will always cherish her memory. The kindness that Betty exuded touched countless lives, and her legacy will undoubtedly continue for years to come. Rest in Peace, Betty!

Edward J. Brantmeier, James Madison University, USA

Catalysts for Change: Betty and Ian

I so much appreciate reading the personal stories of influence and inspiration that both Betty Reardon and Ian Harris fostered in this group of scholars here. It is inspiring to know that both of their work lives on in us, through us, and through the legacies they have left. I also appreciate that without their advocacy and effort, in addition to that of several other journal founding members, the Journal of Peace Education would not exist. They helped establish this journal and so much more in the field of peace education; I am personally and professionally grateful to both. They both were powerful catalysts for change.

As an organic intellectual in the field of peace education, I reached out to Betty circa 2001 via email; she shared a robust peace education reading list with me. That reading list was formative in my self-education as a peace educator and researcher at Indiana University. I had one personal encounter with Betty in 2003 when walking on a forest path in Jyväskylä, Finland. It was a sunny day and Noorie, my spouse, and I were walking to events at the UNESCO Conference on Intercultural Education. With birds merrily chirping, we passed Betty on the forest path and the personal exchange went something like the following. I said, ‘Hello, what a gorgeous sunny day. I believe you are Betty Reardon.’ Betty replied, ‘Yes I am, and what a lovely day indeed.’ We all took in a breath and looked around at the forest, the hillside, the sun. ‘I’m Ed Brantmeier. Thank you for responding to my emails and giving guidance in the field of peace education.’ Betty graciously accepted the gratitude and we parted ways, walking along the hillside forest trail. In addition to appreciating her global, inspiring work in the field of peace education, I sensed Betty shared a deep love of the natural, more-than-human world. Later in the UNESCO conference, I was impressed with the moral authority that Betty commanded in her keynote speech.

Ian was my most formidable mentor in the field of peace education. My first time meeting him was at his office at UW-Milwaukee circa 2002 where he shared tons of resources on peace education with me, including his own published work and reading lists he had assembled for the peace education courses he taught. Rather than driving two separate cars to lunch, we (Noorie, Ian, and I) drove together in his car, stopping by his house to let out the dog. He paid for our lunch; I appreciated that much because I did not have a lot of money to spare in graduate school. Ian shared his time, information, and inspirational stories regarding peace education. He exhibited environmental stewardship by encouraging us to drive to lunch together. He walked his peace education talk.

We shared more meals when attending American Educational Research Association (AERA) national conferences in the United States. In 2003, where he presented his influential peace education evaluation paper at AERA, we met for breakfast. He shared the upcoming news about the Journal of Peace Education and how it would be an outlet for publishing research in the field of peace education. The new scholarly Journal of Peace Education helped me convince my PhD advisor and committee members at Indiana University-Bloomington that peace education research was indeed a legitimate form of scholarly work. In 2005, I completed the second peace education dissertation in the history of Indiana University-College of Education. Later in 2007, I published data from that dissertation in the Journal of Peace Education. Again, Ian’s time, guidance, and generosity were much appreciated and instrumental in my career.

The last time I shared a meal with Ian was at Gracias Madre restaurant in The Mission District of San Francisco at AERA in 2013. It was Ian’s restaurant choice – a locally owned, farm-to-table, vegan, fair wage, Mexican restaurant. He wanted Dr. Jing Lin and I to meet him there to discuss our book series on peace education with Information Age Publishing. Ian shared he was doing some volunteer work in prisons and volunteering in the community. He lived a life of service. He was always encouraging, supportive, and led through action, not talk. The last time I communicated with Ian via email he conveyed that he recently encountered whales while boating in the Pacific Ocean. He described the experience as “sublime.”

As editor of the Journal of Peace Education, a global flagship journal in the field, I invite us all to take a moment to honor the people and the legacies that have inspired us to begin and to continue to do this work. Bring your mentors into your mind’s eye, bring them into your heart. Remember who they were, what they contributed, how they inspired/inspire you, how they shared their guidance and time generously. Thank them for all they have given to you and to others. Let their light shine through you and inspire you in your own work. Think about the legacy you want to leave behind with your colleagues, students, and families. Live the core values that drive you in this lofty, yet vital and hopeful peace education work.

Honoring their legacies

Launched in 2004, twenty years later in 2024, the Journal of Peace Education continues to be dedicated to ‘education for the achievement of non-violent, ecologically sustainable, just and participatory societies.’ Both Betty Reardon and Ian Harris helped envision and then launch this journal with other vital members of the Peace Education Commission of the International Peace Research Association. This journal has helped the field of peace education become a legitimate academic field of scholarly inquiry; it has encouraged a few generations of scholars now to pursue the lofty and important work of peace education and peace education research. Betty and Ian’s life and work matter. Your life and work matter. Our hope is that we – as members of the broader peace education community – have made a difference and will continue to do so. Our hope is that in our peace education efforts, peace education research, and peace advocacy work, we will learn to ‘harm less, love more’ – and that we inspire future generations to carry the torch.

Editorial Note

Honoring Johan Galtung

During the final stages of proof editing this special editorial that honors both Betty Reardon and Ian Harris, Johan Galtung passed away on the 17th of February, 2024. He was a pioneer in peace and conflict studies and a prolific scholar. He inspired countless peace education researchers. He stands among giants in our field. In a forthcoming issue of the Journal of Peace Education, we will find a way to properly honor his contributions and inspirations to so many of us. For now, we encourage a moment of silence to honor and remember Johan Galtung, Betty, and Ian.

Acknowledgement

Mary Lee Morrison’s contribution was a brief article she wrote in the Global Campaign for Peace Education. Edward Brantmeier used the factual data provided in Ian Harris’ obituary in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel to write his academic biography for this article. https://www.jsonline.com/obituaries/mjs077942.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Edward J. Brantmeier

Edward J. Brantmeier is a Professor in the Learning, Technology, and Leadership Education Department in the College of Education at James Madison University, USA. His recent books include Culturally Competent Engagement: A Mindful Approach (2020) and Pedagogy of Vulnerability (2020). He is the editor of the Journal of Peace Education.

Janet Gerson

Janet C. Gerson, is the Education Director, International Institute on Peace Education (IIPE), Co-Director of the former Peace Education Center, Teachers College, Columbia University, and board member of Human Dignity Humiliation Studies. Janet is author of Reclaimative Post-Conflict Justice: Democratizing Justice in the World Tribunal on Iraq (2021) that was co-authored with Dale Snauwaert, with a foreword by Betty Reardon.

Colins Imoh

Colins Imoh is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Peace Studies and International Development, and is also the program lead for the International Relations, Politics and Security Studies BA program at the University of Bradford in the UK. He is a scholar-practitioner whose work primarily focuses on promoting peace and social justice.

Kevin Kester

Kevin Kester is Associate Professor in the Department of Education at Seoul National University, South Korea. His research areas include comparative education, peace education, higher education in conflict-affected contexts, and global citizenship education. He is Editor of the Asia Pacific Education Review.

Mary Lee Morrison

Mary Lee Morrison is an author and retired educator and the President Emeritus of Pax Educare, Inc. the Connecticut Center for Peace Education. She has taught courses ranging from cultural and global perspectives, educational psychology, history, philosophy and social foundations of education and global sustainability at several universities and developed and implemented peacelearning curricula in a variety of educational settings.

Dale T Snauwaert

Dale T. Snauwaert, is Professor of Educational Philosophy and Peace Studies at the University of Toledo. He is the Founding Editor of In Factis Pax: Journal of Peace Education and Social Justice. He is the author, most recently, of Teaching Peace as a Matter of Justice: Toward a Pedagogy of Moral Reasoning (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, UK, 2023).

Werner Wintersteiner

Professor (retired) Werner Wintersteiner, Ph. D., was the founding director of the Centre for Peace Research and Peace Education at Klagenfurt University, Austria. He is a team member of the Master’s programme Global Citizenship Education at Klagenfurt University, Austria as well as a board member of the Herbert C. Kelman Institute for Interactive Conflict Transformation, Vienna/Jerusalem.

Notes

1. Online access to the Betty A. Reardon Collection here: https://canadaycenter.utoledo.edu/repositories/2/resources/2