Faith, Knowledge, and Peacebuilding A Discursive Analysis for Peace and Conflict Studies’ Education

Abstract

This article examines how faith is discursively constructed within Peace and Conflict Studies’ education and how such constructions shape knowledge production, ethical formation, and peacebuilding orientations. Using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), which is informed by Norman Fairclough and Michel Foucault, the article interrogates curriculum texts, pedagogical narratives, and institutional discourses that integrate faith into higher education. The article argues that faith is not merely an external belief system but an embedded epistemological and ethical framework influencing how learners interpret conflict, justice, and reconciliation. Its findings suggest that faith integration operates through subtle discursive mechanisms that normalize moral reasoning, shape identity formation, and guide peacebuilding practices. The article contributes to the ongoing debates on faith-based education, decolonization of knowledge, and peace pedagogy in African higher education contexts.