Keyword: Bosnia

Education in divided societies operates simultaneously as a potential vehicle for reconciliation and as a mechanism through which intergroup divisions are reproduced across generations. This article develops a comparative framework for analyzing the structural designs of educational systems in conflict-affected regions, drawing on the cases of Northern Ireland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, and Israel. Four ideal-type models are identified: full structural separation, parallel systems within shared institutions, voluntary integration, and unified common schooling. The analysis examines how each model shapes intergroup contact, identity formation, collective memory, and the reproduction of conflict narratives. Findings indicate that no single design guarantees reconciliation, that structural integration without curricular and pedagogical engagement with the conflict tends to produce shallow coexistence, and that ostensibly neutral arrangements often reinforce dominant-group hegemony. The article argues that the effects of educational architecture on conflict dynamics depend critically on the interaction between structural form, curricular content, and the broader political economy of recognition in which schools are embedded.