Undoing a culture of violence in schools by hearing the subalterned students who experience war in Mindanao

ABSTRACT Students exposed to conflict have increased risks of perpetrating school violence. For young people who experience war in Philippine’s Mindanao, overcoming violence can be particularly challenging as perpetrating this behaviour has, over time, become embedded in their postcolonial culture. These students are most affected by conflict and vulnerable to competing political entities; therefore, in this study, they are identified as the subalterned. Data from a phenomenological research that focus on the lived experiences of the subalterned students and schools’ impact on their identity formation were used to investigate ways to counter the production of a violent culture. In-depth interviews and focus group discussions with art-based activity are used to gather the experiences of current students from six schools and former students in three conflict-affected regions of the country. Using postcolonial theory, this study highlights that student empowerment through identity formation and elements that were previously used to propagate violence and extremism can be effectively harnessed to foster a nonviolent culture in schools. The study concludes by showing that the identified factors that aided participants to overcome violent tendencies must incorporate an active notion of advocating a decolonial peacebuilding program in schools that considers the subaltern’s identities and culture.