Construcción de paz y capacitación en derechos humanos: un estudio de caso en Coahuila

The systemic, ongoing crisis over human rights abuses and forced disappearences in Mexico needs a holistic answer: besides political will, institutional reforms and investing appropriate resources, the domain of education can offer an important contribution: it can help build cultures of peace and the promotion of Human Rights, and contribute to train a new generation of citizens and public officials possessing solid and effective tools for defending and promoting Human Rights. The author of the present text has been invited to hold a workshop in January 2019 in the context of the course “Especialidad en Derechos y Garantías de las Víctimas de Desaparición”, at the Academia Interamericana de Derechos Humanos, at the Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila, in Saltillo (Mexico). The experience this author has made in Saltillo has been remarkable under several points of view. From the point of view of content, the seminar explored a number of key concepts of conflict analysis and management. From the point of view of didactical approach, the teaching method intended to encourage the articulation of the participants’ identities, objectives, needs, and resulting educational objectives. Finally, from the point of view of reflexivity, the workshop intended to show that theories and models used to make sense of violent conflicts could help actors involved in the renewal of Mexican institutions and society to understand better their own context and engage in meaningful shared reflections and conversations.