Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: This chapter reflects on how critical approaches to cultural diversity in education have been and can be applied to religious diversity in the Nordic context.The aim is to identify skills or competences that future teachers need in order to face religious diversity in a socially just manner.Four dimensions of teacher competences regarding religious diversity are identified: critical awareness of the category of religion, critical self-reflection concerning one's personal worldview and relation to religion, religiously responsive education, and including power structures and social change in classroom discussions and activities.Some conclusions can be drawn from existing Nordic research on these topics.Religious literacy may offer a practice-oriented way to help future teachers to embrace critical analysis of the category of religion.Assignments involving worldview reflection may help teachers to gain critical self-reflectivity, especially if worldview is understood as an umbrella term for religious and secular beliefs, symbols and identities.Religiously responsive education and critical analysis of power relations in the classroom require commitment, care and the ongoing pursuit of broader knowledge.
Source: UTUPub (University of Turku)
Author: Kimanen, Anuleena
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7220750611