Peace-centred learning: Building in, for, and on peace using the Quadriga framework in Cambodian higher education

The 2025 Cambodian-Thai border dispute underscores how ethnonationalist narratives can be shaped by social media to incite and perpetuate conflict. Addressing this recurrent cycle requires a systematic, pedagogical approach to deconstruct national "mythistory"—narratives fusing history with cultural myth—and cultivate critical media literacy among emerging leaders. This article proposes adapting the Quadriga framework, a technique for biblical interpretation informed by Christian theologians and commonly used until the Reformation, to foster a peace-centred, secular curriculum for Cambodian Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The adapted Quadriga offers a structured four-step methodology for students to move beyond a passive recitation of history to establish historical truth, critique ontological claims, foster ethical action, and build a reconciled future vision. Integrated as a praxeological pedagogy, this framework empowers learners to challenge dominant narratives, develop relational maturity, and apply critical foresight that can construct the necessary social and ethical infrastructure for lasting regional peace.