Making Meaning of Justice and Peace
A Developmental Lens to Restorative Justice and Peace Education

Creating just and harmonious societies demands understanding how youth interpret and experience the world as they come of age.

Gabriel Velez (Author)

9781009360586, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 25 September 2025

228 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.4 cm, 0.482 kg

This comprehensive guide navigates the intersection of psychology, peacebuilding, and violence engagement among youth. Beginning with an exploration of psychology's role in social justice, it establishes the groundwork in restorative justice and peace education, areas ripe for psychological exploration. The book introduces the conceptualized peace framework, illuminating how young people interpret societal discourses to shape their identities within the context of peace and harmony. Through empirical examples, the framework's efficacy is demonstrated, followed by practical methods and future directions for educators, practitioners, and policymakers. Core to its mission is unravelling the psychological mechanisms underlying participation in peace education and restorative justice, probing how past experiences influence engagement and shape social identities. By addressing these questions, the book offers a roadmap grounded in theoretical development, bolstered by empirical case studies and methodological approaches, to guide scholars and students in fostering peaceful, harmonious societies.

List of Figures
List of Tables
Introduction: a developmental perspective on restorative justice and peace education
1. Restorative justice: history and growth
2. Peace education: history and growth
Part I. Restorative Justice, Psychology and Peace: 3. Restorative justice, peace education, and progressive psychology
4. Developmental approaches in restorative justice and peace education
5. Conceptualized peace and its connection to restorative justice
Part II. Case Studies: 6. 'A grain of sand': Colombian adolescents' coming of age amid a societal peace process
7. Let the young be your guide: from student to community practitioner of restorative justice
Part III. Looking Ahead: 8. 'MOVE'ing research: nuanced, ecologically valid frameworks
9. Looking ahead: implications for peace and justice
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Educational psychology [JNC]