Education and Social Capital in Ethnically Divided Societies: A Comparative Study of Rwanda and Guatemala

Winkler This paper stems from an endeavor to understand how social capital can be established between conflicted groups, with a goal of exchanging division for a cooperative drive toward national development. The ethnically divided societies of Rwanda and Guatemala are used as cases to examine the role education systems perform on social capital. Through qualitative and quantitative analysis, I find that specific educational structures, pedagogical methods, and curriculum content impact the formation of social capital in each state; and therefore, also influence the potential for a nationally united people. Rather than assuming that Rwanda and Guatemala have reached a level of ethnic nonviolence and national identity, the following pages reveal gaps in the existing education systems that may contribute to ethnic divisions in the future. The comparative study also provides insight into the varied impact of direct and indirect education techniques.