Lynne Parmenter

Lynne joined the University of Canterbury in 2025, bringing more than three decades of international experience in peace, intercultural, and global citizenship education. Her research spans five interconnected areas:

• Positive Peace Education - Lynne’s current primary research focus is positive peace education, addressing direct, structural, and cultural violence in school and community settings. She led a major multi‑partner project in Kazakhstan from 2023 to 2025, working with researchers and teachers to co‑design relational, culturally grounded approaches to building peaceful school environments. Her work emphasises participatory methodologies, community engagement, and context‑responsive peacebuilding.

• Intercultural Education – Grounded in decades of teaching and living in Japan, Kazakhstan, the UK and New Zealand, Lynne investigates how education systems foster intercultural understanding, social cohesion, and global engagement. Her research examines how learners and educators learn to live with others, and how schools and universities can cultivate inclusive, connected, and respectful learning environments. She is currently working with a team of international researchers to explore how university students navigate new academic cultures.

• Ethics of Care in Education - Lynne’s work on the ethics of care explores relational, human‑centred approaches to teaching, learning, and school culture. She is particularly interested in how care‑based pedagogies support wellbeing, belonging, and peaceful relationships across diverse cultural contexts.

• (Global) Citizenship Education - Lynne has an extensive background in citizenship education and global citizenship education, analysing how young people develop civic identities, global awareness, and a sense of responsibility toward others. Her research considers how schools prepare learners to engage ethically and constructively in an interconnected world.

• Comparative and International Education - With long-term academic experience across East Asia, Central Asia and Europe, Lynne contributes to comparative and international education, examining how educational systems respond to cultural, political, and social change. Her work highlights cross‑national insights into peace, citizenship, interculturality, and educational reform.