Religious literacy: a way forward for religious education?

ABSTRACT

In this paper, the central findings of a research project into religious literacy are presented. This project sought to answer the question as to whether or not religious literacy can be a way forward for religious education (RE). Starting with the idea of ‘literacy’, dominant approaches religious literacy in the literature are examined. An educational argument is developed, building on a definition of literacy in relation as being an effective navigation of a domain. At this point, a question is raised about whether domains should be accepted as they are, or whether education needs also to work with students on the ability to raise critical questions about how domains are defined and policed. This moves the discussion from functional literacy towards critical literacy; highlighting the political dimension of literacy. By way of conclusion, we consider what all this means for RE, and whether or not religious literacy can offer a way forward for RE.

KEYWORDS:

• Literacy
• religion
• religious literacy
• religious education (RE)

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Patricia Hannam

Dr Patricia Hannam is County Inspector Adviser for Religious Education, History and Philosophy, leading and advising on teaching and curriculum development in religious education and history. She has particular interest in the ideas of Arendt and Weil, and how schools and other educational contexts can be places where the thinking, speaking and action necessary for all to flourish, can happen. Recent books include Religious Education and the Public Sphere (Routledge 2018).

Gert Biesta

Gert Biesta is Professor of Public Education at the Centre of Public Education and Pedagogy of Maynooth University, Ireland, Professorial Fellow in Educational Theory and Pedagogy at the Moray House School of Education and Sport, University of Edinburgh, and NIVOZ Professor for Education at the University of Humanistic Studies, the Netherlands. In addition, he is visiting professor at the University of Agder, Norway. His work focuses on the theory of education, education policy, and the theory and philosophy of educational and social research. Recent and forthcoming books include The Rediscovery of Teaching (Routledge in 2017); Obstinate Education: Reconnecting School and Society (Brill/Sense, 2019); and Educational Research: An Unorthodox Introduction (Bloomsbury, 2019).

Sean Whittle

Dr Sean Whittle is a Visiting Research Fellow at St Mary’s University in Twickenham, a Research Associate with the CRDCE and also part-time secondary school RE teacher at Gumley House FCJ Catholic School in West London. Recent books include, A Theory of Catholic Education (Bloomsbury, 2014), Vatican II and New Thinking about Catholic Education (Routheldge 2016), ‘Researching Catholic Education’ (Springer 2018) and ‘Religious Education in Catholic schools in the UK and Ireland’ (Peter Lang 2018).

David Aldridge

Dr David Aldridge is Reader and Director of Research in the Department of Education at Brunel University London. He is the author of A Hermeneutics of Religious education (Bloomsbury 2015).