1st Edition
Religion, Education, Dialogue and Conflict Perspectives on Religious Education Research
Religion, Education, Dialogue and Conflict analyses the European Commission-funded REDCo project, which addressed the question of how religions might contribute to dialogue or conflict in Europe. Researchers in education from eight countries – the UK, Estonia, France, Germany, the Netherlands, the Russian Federation, Norway and Spain – studied how young Europeans of different religious, cultural and political backgrounds could engage in dialogue in the context of the school.
Empirical studies conducted with 14-16 year old students included them offering their own perspectives and analyses of teaching and learning in both dialogue and conflict situations. Although there were some different national patterns and trends, most students wished for peaceful coexistence across differences, andbelieved this to be possible. The majority agreed that peaceful coexistence depended on knowledge about each other’s religions and worldviews, sharing common interests and doing things together. The project found that students who learn about religious diversity in school are more willing to discuss religions and beliefs with students of other backgrounds than those who do not.
The international range of expert contributors to this book evaluate the results of the REDCo project, providing examples of its qualitative and quantitative studies and reflecting on the methods and theory used in the project as a whole.
This book was originally published as a special issue of the British Journal of Religious Education.
1. The REDCo Project: Editorial Introduction: Robert Jackson (Professor of Education, University of Warwick, UK, and Professor of Religious Diversity and Education, European Wergeland Centre, Oslo)
2. Young people’s talk about religion and diversity: A qualitative study of Norwegian students aged 13-15. Marie von der Lippe (Research Fellow, University of Stavanger, Norway).
3.Under the Shadow of Al-Andalus? Spanish Teenagers' attitudes and experiences with religious diversity at school. Gunther Dietz (Professor of Social Anthropology, University of Veracruz, Mexico), Aurora Veinguer (Lecturer in Social Anthropology, University of Granada, Spain) and Javier Rosón (Researcher, University of Granada, Spain).
4. Humanities teachers and their students in an English school: a comparison of their perspectives on religion and religious education: Joyce Miller (University of Warwick, UK) & Ursula McKenna (University of Warwick, UK)
5. Laïcité in practice : the perceptions of French teenagers. Bérengère Massignon (The Sorbonne, Paris).
6. Influences on Students’ Views on Religions and Education in England and Estonia: Sean Neill (University of Warwick, UK) and Olga Schihalejev (University of Tartu, Estonia).
7. A Contextual Setting Approach: A Contribution to the Understanding of How Young People View and Experience Religion and Education in Europe. Thorsten Knauth (University of Duisberg-Essen) and Anna Körs (University of Hamburg).
8. RE Teachers’ Responses to Religious Diversity in Europe: Researching the Relationship between Biography and Pedagogy: Ina ter Avest, (Utrecht University, the Netherlands), Cok Bakker (Utrecht University, the Netherlands), Judith Everington (University of Warwick, UK), Anna van der Want (Utrecht University, the Netherlands).
9. Investigating the impact of religious diversity in schools for secondary education: a challenging but necessary exercise. Gerdien Bertram-Troost (VU University, Amsterdam).
10. REDCo Findings in Support of Dialogue and Hermeneutics: Fedor Kozyrev (Russian Christian Academy for the Humanities, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation).
11. The Interpretive Approach as a Research Tool: Inside the REDCo Project: Robert Jackson: (Professor of Education, University of Warwick, UK, and Professor of Religious Diversity and Education, European Wergeland Centre, Oslo).
12. Reflections on the REDCo Project: Wolfram Weisse (University of Hamburg)
Biography
Robert Jackson is Professor of Education at the University of Warwick, Director of Warwick Religions and Education Research Unit, and Professor of Religious Diversity and Education at the Council of Europe-related European Wergeland Centre in Oslo. He is Editor of the British Journal of Religious Education.
