Religious Education in European Organisations, Professional Associations and Research Groups

Abstract

Although provision for dealing with religion(s) in the educational systems of different European countries continues to vary quite considerably, there is increasing European collaboration on this topic in European organisations, such as the Council of Europe, the European Wergeland Centre and the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe; in professional associations, such as the European Forum for Teachers of Religious Education; and in research groups, including the European Network for Religious Education through Contextual Approaches, together with various international teams—such as the REDCo team—assembled to undertake particular research projects. Academic journals with a European and wider brief also play their part in fostering European collaboration, discussion and exchange, as does the book series Religious Diversity and Education in Europe, published in Germany by Waxmann, and the University of Vienna’s series of texts on religious education in Europe. The chapter argues that Europeanisation—part of a broader internationalisation—of debates and research about religious education is to be welcomed, despite the ambiguities of the term ‘religious education’. So far its outcomes have been very positive in opening up discussion about the rationale for the study of religions in public education (as with the Council of Europe’s work), building networks of communication for exchanging ideas on pedagogy and policy and for collaborative research, fostering new, outward looking, doctoral research, and extending the publication of research on various aspects of religion in education.