The education for peace in Religious Education school programmes and textbooks in England (1970-2020)

Abstract

Education for peace and peaceful coexistence in society is one of the objectives of teaching religions at school. This is due to the inextricable link between this discipline and the plural identity and intercultural skills required in a globalised world. Nowadays the religious re-emerges through new and unprecedented configurations – often in its most problematic version – but, at the same time and paradoxically, religious illiteracy is rampant among younger generations (Moore, 2007; Melloni, 2014). How can the teaching of/about religions in school fill this illiteracy and educate young people about peace? How does this discipline inform and educate about conflict management and the implications of religion in today's controversial issues? The objective of the following paper is to analyse whether the discipline of RE – Religious Education – in England has included the theme of peace and peaceful coexistence in society in school programs and textbooks. Furthermore, it will analyse how this theme is represented, beginning with the introduction of the multi-religious approach. In light of the definition of religious literacy (Moore, 2007), do programs contextualise religious phenomena in their interaction with political, economic, cultural and social elements?