‘I Am Nothing'‐‐Does It Matter? A Critique of Current Religious Education Policy and Practice in England on behalf of the Silent Majority

Abstract

Drawn from research in England in the 1990s,¹ this article revisits the recent history of RE, injustices caused by legislation to minority groups, and the shift in emphasis in RE from concepts of religion to concerns of religions. Recognising the need for moves to alleviate the injustices, and suggesting that the move towards the systematised study of religions is counter‐productive, it moves on to discuss wider forms of disparity of esteem experienced by the majority of participants in RE. These people are pupils and teachers who might be described as belonging to the ‘religions of the silent majority’, but who might also describe themselves as ‘nothing’. Using John Wolffe's categorisation of these religions, it then illustrates the concerns and experiences of these people by introducing the reader to a ‘fictional’ pupil and her teacher. Moves towards pedagogies for RE are indicated, based on mutual understanding and exchange in which the minority groups (including Christian communities) and the majority can formulate and experience a religious education for all.

1 The author's research is following the effects of government policy on religion in education between 1993 and 1998. The fictional characters (Jemima's story) are an integral part of the presentation of research data. Research methods used are interviews, written surveys, observations and research diaries, and the methods are designed to elicit qualitative rather than quantitative data. Case studies include pupils and teachers amongst whom the silent majority is clearly identifiable. The code of conduct of many research projects presents the researcher with difficulties when the material ‘goes public’. To protect the anonymity of participants in the main body of research informing this article, the material (including quotations) has been handed to fictional characters to present the issues.

Notes

1 The author's research is following the effects of government policy on religion in education between 1993 and 1998. The fictional characters (Jemima's story) are an integral part of the presentation of research data. Research methods used are interviews, written surveys, observations and research diaries, and the methods are designed to elicit qualitative rather than quantitative data. Case studies include pupils and teachers amongst whom the silent majority is clearly identifiable. The code of conduct of many research projects presents the researcher with difficulties when the material ‘goes public’. To protect the anonymity of participants in the main body of research informing this article, the material (including quotations) has been handed to fictional characters to present the issues.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Linda Rudge

Linda Rudge is the founding Director of the Keswick Hall Centre for Research and Development in RE at the University of East Anglia, Norwich, which was established in 1993. The RE Centre works collaboratively with the Centre for Applied Research in Education. The theme of ‘justice’ in terms of the role of religion in education is a current strand of her research. She presented a paper on this theme in a symposium at the British Educational Research Association in 1996 and at a seminar at Warwick University in June 1997.