Special Religious Education in Public Schools in Australia: Between Identity Formation and Safety

• In Event: 69.050 - Schooling in Pluralistic Contexts

Abstract

This study seeks to analyse the components that contribute to Special Religious Education (SRE) classes in government schools in Australia being considered as a ‘safe place’ and the ways in which they facilitate an understanding of the students’ own religious and cultural identity. Our research focuses on one of the small faiths, Judaism, as a case study through observation of the Jewish SRE/SRI classes in the two largest Jewish population centres, Sydney and Melbourne. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 90 participants, and classroom observations were undertaken in both cities. This paper draws on Kamilka’s concept of the rights of minority groups in a liberal society and discusses the distinction between thin and thick multiculturalism.

Author

• Zehavit Gross, Bar-Ilan University