Education and Justice: New Theoretical Foundations of Educating for Non-Violence

Abstract

This article analyzes the theoretical foundations of educating for non-violence, drawing on an understanding of violence as a historical, social and cultural construct intensified during the Brazilian Military Dictatorship. Grounded in Grounded Theory, it examines documents from the Brasil Nunca Mais Project and reports of the Truth Commissions, identifying central categories such as justice, truth, memory and human rights. It argues that these elements enable the structuring of an educational proposal oriented toward delegitimizing violence, understood as an ethical-political project. The work articulates philosophical and sociological contributions, highlighting non-violence as an active practice of social transformation. As its main finding, it posits educating for non-violence as education for justice, organized along moral, normative, political and pedagogical dimensions. It concludes that education, by fostering memory, recognition and democratic participation, constitutes a fundamental strategy for confronting the culture of violence and consolidating more just and democratic societies.