Recognition of context and experience: a civic-based Canadian conception of religious literacy

ABSTRACT

Several conceptions of religious literacy exist globally and are informed by the contextual nuances of the scholars who developed them in the UK, US and Australia. As five Canadian scholar-educators across British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec, we analyse the well-known religious literacy conceptions of Jackson, Nesbitt, Dinham, Moore and Crisp through a framework based on the recognition of context and experience. In doing so, we propose a Canadian-specific conception that considers the contextual nuances in these four provinces and relates to Canada as a nation and the individual experiences of each author, and recognises the diversity across Canada. We posit that our conception addresses the social and political dynamics and shifts in Canada, namely the changing demography of religious, spiritual and non-religious individuals and the response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report that calls Canadians and its institutions to respond to the wrong towards First Nations, Metis and Inuit people.

KEYWORDS:

• Canada
• context
• recognition
• experience

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Donetta M. Hines, Helal Dhali, Janet Amos, Jing Xiaoli, Karen Paul, Kristin Franseen, Sakiko Yamaguchi and Yann Zoldan for reviewing earlier versions of this manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. Statistics Canada, 2016 Census of Population.

2. This table summarizes Statistics Canada (2013) data from four separate tables in the 2011 National Household Survey. This is the most recent government data with religious demographic detail. Data can be referenced in the following links: Ontario (Code 35) http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/dp-pd/prof/index.cfm?Lang=E,

3. Although it is referenced, there is no formal definition of a ‘pluralistic society’ in the BC curriculum documents on that site.

4. ‘Aboriginal’ is the institutionally preferred terminology in BC opposed to ‘Indigenous'.

5. See https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/indigenous-people/new-relationship

6. This is the Éthique et culture religieuse (ECR) course in French. The subject matter is the same in both languages.

7. Newer publications from Jackson, such as Signposts (2014), offer a clear focus to expand one’s teaching to include teaching about spirituality and non-religious worldviews. However, we reviewed the overall framework of his approach in order to offer a fair comparison to the work of the other scholars. Hence, Signposts and other works by Jackson are not discussed in this article.

8. See www.ccrl-clrc.ca

Additional information

Notes on contributors

W. Y. Alice Chan

W. Y. Alice Chan (Ph. D. Candidate, McGill University) is a teacher-researcher and evaluation consultant based in Canada. She works on issues related to religious bullying, religious literacy, and violent extremism. She is also the executive director and co-founder of the Centre for Civic Religious Literacy.

Hiren Mistry

Hiren Mistry (Ed.D. Candidate, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto) is an educator and researcher whose work synthesizes commitments to equity, cultural & religious/creed diversity, policy and pedagogy. Hiren has over 15 years of experience connecting human rights theory to practice in public & higher education, with community groups and non-profit organizations. He is a former seconded lecturer at York University (Faculty of Education), and is currently completing his doctorate in Higher Education and Leadership focusing on the intersection of policy, religious diversity and leadership.

Erin Reid

Erin Reid (Ph.D. Candidate, McGill University) is an educator and researcher who thinks a great deal about religious diversity, equity, and education. In particular, she is deeply curious about how religion intersects with other facets of identity, including language and LGBTQ2S+ identities. Her doctoral research at McGill University investigates the role of religious literacy as an educational aim in teacher education programs in Canada. This academic work is deeply informed by her 15+ years of experience as an educator, curriculum developer, and teacher educator in adult education and higher education contexts. In 2015, she received the Award for Distinguished Teaching in McGill University’s School of Continuing Studies.

Arzina Zaver

Arzina Zaver, Ph.D., is a Training and Development Specialist and Educator. Arzina has over a decade of teaching experience at the primary, secondary and post-secondary levels. She has held teaching, mentorship and leadership positions in Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Trinidad and Tobago. Her scholarly interests and contributions are in the field of teacher education, the politics of teacher identity, and multicultural education. She currently serves as the Regional Director of the Centre for Civic Religious Literacy for British Columbia and works in the field of training and development, specifically supporting preservice and in-service teachers in their teaching practice for various educational institutions and non-profit organizations.

Sabrina Jafralie

Sabrina Jafralie, Ph.D., is a recognized specialist on the Quebec Ethics and Religious Culture course and has over 16 years of teaching experience at the secondary and university levels with experience in the Canadian and British educational systems. This teaching experience and her research on teachers’ challenges in teaching religious literacy bring a wealth of knowledge into her roles at the Centre. In 2018, she was awarded the Prime Minister’s Teaching Award of Excellence.