Language and literacy for peace: proposals for Italian secondary education

Language is a vital tool for promoting peace, bridging cultural divides, and addressing conflict. By including language for peace education (Martin’s Positive Discourse Analysis, 2004; Gomes de Matos’ Peace Linguistics, 2014) in secondary schools, students can be equipped with critical linguistic and cultural competences to counteract hate speech, extremism, and societal polarization, and to support diplomacy and intercultural understanding. This article proposes integrating task-based approaches to language learning into Italy’s secondary school curriculum, to foster critical awareness of the dual potential of language — to foster peace or fuel conflict—and to build a culture of cooperation in schools. Focusing on activities like multilingual text creation, translation exercises, analysis of texts promoting human rights and peaceful diplomacy, and on real-world examples of peace efforts can inspire and develop empathetic and constructive communication skills. Italian education initiatives already in place, such as bilingual education, compulsory civic education, and popular extracurricular activities such as the Model United Nations, provide an optimal context in which to embed such activities, well-aligned with Italy's constitutional value of peace, and useful in preparing future communicators adept at peaceful interactions in a diverse, interconnected world.