Faith-Based Schools in Contexts of Religious Diversity: An Introduction

Abstract

In democratic societies, schools have become central sites for governing religious diversity. Research on the intersection of religion and education has focused predominantly on public secular schools but we know less about how faith-based schools operate in contexts of increasing religious diversity. How do such institutions negotiate their specific religious identity and religious educational project when religious homogeneity has given way to religious diversity, both between and within religious traditions? This introduction to the focused section provides an overview of some of the main discussions in the literature and highlights the potentials of studying faith-based schools’ responses to religious diversity.