Collective imaginaries in the construction of a culture of peace: reflections and perspectives

Abstract

In this reflection, collective imaginaries are understood from a sociocultural theoretical perspective. Interpreting Castoriadis (1975), the social or collective imaginary is not seen as the determined and concluded reality of human groups, but rather as the potential for creation and indeterminacy inherent in social life, and therefore, the capacity of society to continually remake itself. For Taylor (2006), a collective imaginary is the complex relationship in which people give meaning to lived experiences and the possibilities for the future that typically develop from normative, social, economic, and political realities. That is, the social or collective imaginary is the way in which people imagine their existence and their reality based on the relationships between them and the events that surround them. The other area of ​​reflection is the culture of peace; interpreting Ojeda and Sequeda (2002), it can be understood that the culture of peace assumes conflict as an ontological condition of social and human life. Consequently, conflict presents an opportunity for development and is resolved through agreements and consensus. In this context, education and pedagogy are called upon to foster socialization and development in new generations, thereby overcoming the outdated view of conflict as pathological in social life.