Prof. Dr. Larisa Kasumagić-Kafedžić was a plenary speaker at the annual IATEFL Conference (International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language), held in Brighton, UK, from April 20 to 24, 2026. Her address, titled “Reimagining Language Education for Peace in our Divided World,” was exceptionally well-received by the international community, positioning critical peace pedagogy at the center of global English Language Teaching (ELT) discourse.

The presentation underscored that language classrooms are not merely spaces for linguistic instruction, but pivotal environments for fostering intercultural understanding, empathy, and social justice. In an increasingly polarized and militarized global climate, Professor Kasumagić-Kafedžić argued for a paradigm shift in language pedagogies—moving beyond standard communicative approaches to integrate conflict transformation and peacebuilding in the language curriculum as well as in the teacher education program. This approach carries profound implications for language teacher training, highlighting the importance of peace linguistics and peace pedagogies that need to be tailored to equip the next generation of language educators with the knowledge, wisdom, skills and ethical frameworks necessary to navigate complex social realities. In this context, the work of Peace Education Hub and its vision for sustainable and integrative peace education across subjects and curriculum, was illustrated as an example which bridges theory and practice by embedding empathy, peace pedagogy, nonviolent communication, and intercultural solidarity directly into teacher training and classroom instruction across different levels of formal learning.

This vision of the language teacher as a vital global change agent resonated deeply with the conference’s 2,000 international participants, finding particular relevance among a strong academic delegation from the Western Balkans. Language teachers and educators, language pedagogy professors, and English language student teachers from Bosnia and Herzegovina—representing the universities of Sarajevo, Zenica, and Mostar—alongside colleagues from Serbia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo, and Albania, actively engaged throughout the conference.  Their collaborative presence demonstrated how regional experiences inform global conversations, reinforcing one important dimension in their profession orientation – to utilize language, literature and culture teaching as a bridge for global understanding and sustainable peace.

IATEFL is pleased to share recordings of the main plenary sessions from the IATEFL International Conference with the global teaching community.

https://www.iateflconference.org/about-the-conference/plenary-recordings