Conflict, Peace and Teaching in Higher Education addresses one of the most pressing challenges facing contemporary universities—how to teach and learn in environments increasingly shaped by violence, political unrest, and social movements.

Conflict is an inescapable feature of contemporary life, and university educators are increasingly working in environments where teaching is deeply intertwined with broader societal and global struggles. Many face the direct and indirect effects of violence, displacement, militarisation, surveillance, and censorship. At the same time, as student activism for peace, justice, and social change grows, universities around the world are becoming sites of heightened tension, where academic freedom often collides with state and institutional responses to issues deemed controversial. This book critically examines the role of higher education teaching in both fostering peacebuilding and, at times, contributing to the escalation of conflict. It explores how teaching and learning can help disrupt cycles of violence, address structural injustices, and cultivate sustainable cultures of peace. The volume explores theoretical foundations, regional contexts, pedagogical innovations, and institutional responses that shape the role of higher education in either perpetuating conflict or fostering sustainable peacebuilding across diverse global settings.

The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue in Teaching in Higher Education.

Kevin Kester is Associate Professor of Comparative International Education and Peace/Development Studies and Director of the Education, Conflict and Peace Lab at Seoul National University. He is Editor of the Asia Pacific Education Review. His latest books are the International Handbook on Peace Education (2026) and A Modern Guide to Education in East Asia (2026).

Greg William Misiaszek is a Distinguished Professor at Tohoku University’s Graduate School of Education and Associate Director of the Paulo Freire Institute, UCLA. He is Chief Editor of the Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of Environmental Education and Book Series Editor of Freire in Focus. His latest book is Ecopedagogy and the Global Environmental Citizen (2025).