Lucy Kentish is a PhD Student in the Department of Sociology, Politics and International Studies (SPAIS) at the University of Bristol. She holds a Joint European Master’s in Human Rights and Genocide Studies and a Bachelor’s degree in Criminology. Lucy is a Visiting Student at The Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice, Queen’s University Belfast, while she conducts her PhD fieldwork. She is interested in the extent to which education plays a role in transforming deeply divided societies.
Lucy’s doctoral dissertation examines the aims of educational models designed to address the challenges of divided societies and the extent to which such educational models prepare young people to enter divided society as social individuals. The dissertation argues that desegregated approaches to education have the most to offer deeply divided societies and examines the objectives and outcomes of policies that adopt integrative approaches to education. Northern Ireland is adopted as an illustrative case study where the education system adopts two innovative approaches that address division: integrated education which intentionally educates pupils of different religious beliefs or cultures together, and shared education which involves separate schools collaborating together on joint activities or classes. Schools across Northern Ireland adhere to the same curriculum which includes two subjects, history education and citizenship education, that are designed to develop enquiring minds, critical thinking and participation in debates. Through the lens of school ethos and curricula, the dissertation investigates the long-term impact of attending an integrated school or a school in a shared partnership, and the long-term impact of citizenship education and history education. Fieldwork for the dissertation includes document analysis of education policy and curricula, interviews with stakeholders of education policy and focus groups with pupils that have directly experienced integrated education or shared education.
Lucy will use the Sydney Bailey Fund grant to hold more information gathering conversations with individuals working on the ground with young people across Northern Ireland, both inside and outside of formal education. The grant will also facilitate further interviews with stakeholders of shared education and integrated education, and focus groups with past pupils.