The European REDCo Project

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Wolfram Weisse Athens 9 October 2007

• The European REDCo Project
• as a research base for
• Council of Europe developments in teaching about
  religious diversity in Europe

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REDCo

• Religion in Education. A Contribution to Dialogue
  or a factor of Conflict in transforming societies
  of European countries
• Start March 2006
• Duration 36 months
• EU-funds 1.188.000,00 Euro

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Objectives

• to establish and compare the potentials and
  limitations of religion in the educational
  systems of selected European countries.
• to analyse approaches and constellations that can
  contribute in making religion in education into
  a factor for promoting dialogue in the context of
  European social coherence.
• to lay the foundation for our understanding of
  the contribution that religion in education can
  make towards the transformation processes
  underway in various European countries.
• to gain the necessary historical depth of
  perception and analytical clarity in order to
  address the current problems of, and perspectives
  on, the core questions of dialogue and conflict
  between European identities.

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Participating countries

• Germany and Norway Established churches and move
  towards religious pluralism.
• The Netherlands and England/Wales Established
  churches and a long (though not unchallenged)
  tradition of religious pluralism.
• France and Spain Predominant catholic countries
  with an increasing religious and interreligious
  opening and a public discourse on new approaches
  of Religion in Education, on Catholic RE and on
  an Islamic RE.
• Russia and Estonia Strong religious traditions,
  which have long been marginalised by Communism.
  In recent years, both societies have become
  increasingly open towards religious influences.

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Members of REDCo-Consortium

• Prof. Wolfram Weisse, University of Hamburg (D),
  (Coordinator) PD Dr. Thorsten
  Knauth
• Prof. Robert Jackson, University of Warwick (GB)
• Prof. Jean-Paul Willaime, Sorbonne University,
  Paris (F)
• Prof. Siebren Miedema, Dr. Ina ter Avest, Free
  University Amsterdam,and Prof. Cok Bakker,
  University of Utrecht (NL)
• Prof. Geir Skeie, University of Stavanger (NOR)
• Prof. Pille Valk, University of Tartu (Estonia)
• Prof. Muhammad Kalisch, Dan-Paul Jozsa,
  University of Münster (D)
• Prof. Udo Steinbach, Hamburg (D)
• Prof. Vladimir Fedorov, Prof. Fedor Kosyrev
  Russian Christian Academy for Humanities, St.
  Petersburg (Russia)
• Prof. Gunther Dietz, Dr.A. Alvarez Veinguer,
  University of Granada (Spain)

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Theoretical Background I

• Interpretive approach
• Representation Religions should be presented not
  as homogeneous and bounded systems.
• Interpretation Students should not be expected
  to set aside their own presuppositions.
• Reflexivity Students should re-assess their own
  ways of life they should be constructively
  critical of the material they study and they
  should maintain an awareness of the development
  of the interpretive process, reflecting on the
  nature of their learning.

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Theoretical Background II

• Religious Education
• We concentrate on the contribution of RE both
  to personal development and to social
  responsibility and social cohesion.
• Citizenship-Education
• RE has the potential to incorporate European
  and global ideas of citizenship, helping children
  debate issues relevant to a plural society.
• Religion and Identification
• Neighbour-religion,
• Non-foundationalist view,
• Identity-formation.

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Methods

• For text analysis, we refer to mainly
  hermeneutical methods.
• For empirical methods, we all use the following
• Participant observation,
• Semi-structured interviews,
• Questionnaires (qualitative and quantitative)
• Videotaping of RE-lessons for interaction
  analysis.
• Empirical studies, targeting students in the
  14-16 year age group, will look into individual
  perceptions of dialogue or conflict within the
  different national contexts.
• These will include a dual perspective
• - of the subjects' own perspectives and
• - analyses of observed teaching in both dialogue
  and in
• conflict situations.
• Our subject selection will also allow for
  gender-specific results.

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Preliminary Results

• No religious adherence School is main forum for
  religious themes.
• Belonging to a religion School is main
  possibility for interreligious contacts.
• Many pupils have prejudices, but are also keen to
  enter into dialogue.
• Many pupils want interreligious understanding on
  both levels the personal and the societal one.

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Expected Results

• The findings of this programme will contribute
• to the development of a European strategy in the
  field of religion and value systems that can
  serve as an orientation for personal development,
  but remain open to the emergence of a collective
  European identity (which must, however, be
  understood as plural and dialogic rather than as
  monolithic).
• to a better understanding of how questions of
  religion and religiosity for children, young
  people and students can be anchored in the
  educational process.
• to promote an understanding of the values held in
  common and develop mutual respect, both in
  different European countries and in Europe.

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Perspectives

• respecting other positions (even in disagreement)
  rather than prioritising ones own opinion,
• not regarding religion and culture as monolithic
  but rather as determined by a multiplicity of
  human beings in daily practice and changeable,
• establishing bars against the ideological abuse
  of religion and its instrumentalisation for
  political conflict

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Peaceful coexistence and Cooperation

• Introducing religion into public school curricula
  in Europe not only offers potential for better
  interpersonal relations, it can also contribute
  to the overall pace of innovation and growth of
  society.
• Stronger cooperation between the Council of
  Europe and REDCo
• - The Council of Europe supports REDCo, e.g.
  in its dissemination programmes,
• - REDCo participants are able and willing to
  offer an expanding and improving research base
  which the Council could make use of.