The Interpretive Approach to Religious Education

Robert JacksonWarwick Religions and Education

Research Unit

REDCo Project May 2006

Hindu Children in CoventryHindu Children in Coventry What are the best methods for What are the best methods for

building a picture of children’s building a picture of children’s experience and understanding of experience and understanding of religious activity? religious activity? From From phenomenology to ethnography…phenomenology to ethnography…

How do you account for the How do you account for the inconsistency between conventional inconsistency between conventional academic accounts of religions and academic accounts of religions and accounts based on ethnographic accounts based on ethnographic study? study? History of religions and History of religions and cultural criticism…cultural criticism…

Ethnographic Studies of Ethnographic Studies of ChildrenChildren

Representation: Wilfred Cantwell SmithRepresentation: Wilfred Cantwell Smith ReligioReligio as 'inner piety', 'devotion'; as 'inner piety', 'devotion';

emotional and interioremotional and interior Patristic and earlier Latin sources; 15th Patristic and earlier Latin sources; 15th

century Renaissance humanists; 16th century Renaissance humanists; 16th century Protestant Reformerscentury Protestant Reformers

‘‘Religions’ as intellectual systemsReligions’ as intellectual systems 17th and 18th centuries: ‘The Christian 17th and 18th centuries: ‘The Christian

Religion’; The Hindoo Religion’Religion’; The Hindoo Religion’

Religions as named systemsReligions as named systems 19th century: ‘Christianity’; ‘Hinduism’ , 19th century: ‘Christianity’; ‘Hinduism’ ,

‘Buddhism’ etc‘Buddhism’ etc

'Religion' as a generic category with 'Religion' as a generic category with universal essencesuniversal essences

19th century19th century

Smith: Religion as the Interplay of Faith Smith: Religion as the Interplay of Faith and Traditionand Tradition

FaithFaith personal and uniquepersonal and unique inner religious experienceinner religious experience relation to the ‘Transcendent’relation to the ‘Transcendent’

TraditionTradition cumulativecumulative total historical deposittotal historical deposit

Using ‘faith’ and ‘tradition’Using ‘faith’ and ‘tradition’‘‘...it is possible to...describe anything ...it is possible to...describe anything

that has ever happened in the religious that has ever happened in the religious life of mankind’life of mankind’

Representation: Edward Said’s Representation: Edward Said’s OrientalismOrientalism

A culturally determined attitude, deeply A culturally determined attitude, deeply seated prejudice, presupposition, seated prejudice, presupposition, stereotype, ‘habitus’stereotype, ‘habitus’ determines how the ‘Orient’ is determines how the ‘Orient’ is

represented in the Westrepresented in the West polarises people into us/thempolarises people into us/them knowledge linked to powerknowledge linked to power knowledge institutionalisedknowledge institutionalised

gains authoritygains authority transmitted intertextuallytransmitted intertextually knowledge received as part of a culture's knowledge received as part of a culture's

historyhistory

stronger group stronger group definesdefines weaker groups weaker groups

Ethnographic Interpretation: Clifford Ethnographic Interpretation: Clifford GeertzGeertz

Working out the relationship Working out the relationship between ‘parts’ (particular between ‘parts’ (particular examples) and ‘wholes’ (your examples) and ‘wholes’ (your picture of ‘the culture’ or ‘the picture of ‘the culture’ or ‘the religion’) in a cultural situationreligion’) in a cultural situation

Moving between ‘experience-near’ Moving between ‘experience-near’ (‘insider’) and ‘experience-distant’ (‘insider’) and ‘experience-distant’ (‘outsider’) concepts and symbols(‘outsider’) concepts and symbols

SensitivitySensitivity rather than empathy rather than empathy

ReflexivityReflexivity Rorty, LeachRorty, Leach etc: re-assessing your etc: re-assessing your

understanding of understanding of ownown way of life way of life (edification)(edification)

RicouerRicouer ‘distanciation’: constructive ‘distanciation’: constructive critique at a distance of material critique at a distance of material studied studied

Ethnographic practice: making a Ethnographic practice: making a running critique of research methodsrunning critique of research methods

influence of methods/researcher on influence of methods/researcher on interpretation?interpretation?

can the methods be improved? Eg can the methods be improved? Eg CliffordClifford can findings be presented better? Eg can findings be presented better? Eg MyerhoffMyerhoff

Key QuestionsKey Questions How should we How should we representrepresent

religious material to others? - religious material to others? - RepresentationRepresentation

What methods can we use to What methods can we use to help students to help students to interpretinterpret religious material? - religious material? - InterpretationInterpretation

How might students How might students reflect on/ reflect on/ react toreact to this material? - this material? - ReflexivityReflexivity

RepresentationRepresentation

individualsindividuals

groupsgroups

traditiontradition

InterpretationInterpretation

Comparison of unfamiliar Comparison of unfamiliar and related familiar and related familiar conceptsconcepts

Relating particular Relating particular examples from religions to examples from religions to the pupil’s develping the pupil’s develping awareness of the wider awareness of the wider contextcontext

involving insidersinvolving insiders

ReflexivityReflexivity

learners re-assessing their learners re-assessing their understanding of understanding of ownown way of life way of life (edification)(edification)

constructive critique at a constructive critique at a distance of material studied distance of material studied

running critique of methodsrunning critique of methods learner's influence on interpretation?learner's influence on interpretation? can the methods be improved?can the methods be improved? can findings be presented better?can findings be presented better?

The Interpretive ApproachThe Interpretive Approach RepresentationRepresentation of religions and of religions and

‘cultures’ showing their diversity‘cultures’ showing their diversity individuals, groups, traditions – ‘culture’ individuals, groups, traditions – ‘culture’

debatedebate InterpretationInterpretation

comparing and contrasting familiar and comparing and contrasting familiar and unfamiliar conceptsunfamiliar concepts

ReflexivityReflexivity Pupils relating learning to their own Pupils relating learning to their own

concernsconcerns constructive criticism at a distanceconstructive criticism at a distance critique of study methods usedcritique of study methods used

Start Start anywhereanywhere: with : with examples/pupils...examples/pupils...

Warwick RE Project: Warwick RE Project: Bridges to ReligionsBridges to Religions

Source material is Source material is ethnographic ethnographic studies of children studies of children in family and in family and schoolschool

Children in class Children in class compare and compare and contrast their contrast their concepts, concepts, experiences and experiences and beliefsbeliefs

Warwick RE Project: Bridges Warwick RE Project: Bridges to Religionsto Religions

Texts deal with Texts deal with similarity and similarity and differencedifference

Diversity of Diversity of views of children views of children in class is in class is recognised recognised (meat eating, (meat eating, vegetarianism, vegetarianism, special diets)special diets)

The Warwick RE ProjectThe Warwick RE Project Uses ethnographic data as source Uses ethnographic data as source

materialmaterial Involves children/parents in how they Involves children/parents in how they

are representedare represented Shows individuals in the context of Shows individuals in the context of

groups and wider traditiongroups and wider tradition Shows young people in various Shows young people in various

'cultural' situations and settings'cultural' situations and settings Requires children to compare and Requires children to compare and

contrast their own experiences and contrast their own experiences and concepts with children in the textsconcepts with children in the texts

Encourages children to relate their Encourages children to relate their own experience to the material studiedown experience to the material studied

Interpretive Approach: Interpretive Approach: DevelopmentDevelopment

The key concepts of ‘representation’, The key concepts of ‘representation’, ‘interpretation’, ‘reflexivity’ are transferable to ‘interpretation’, ‘reflexivity’ are transferable to other modes of learning/teachingother modes of learning/teaching

Learning should be seen as a relationship Learning should be seen as a relationship between the learner and what is studied – a between the learner and what is studied – a movement back and forth between learner’s movement back and forth between learner’s concerns and material studiedconcerns and material studied

sometimes you can start with sometimes you can start with the learnersthe learners (eg (eg issues they are interested inissues they are interested in), and relate these ), and relate these to examples from religious traditionsto examples from religious traditions

Learning can also start from Learning can also start from ‘key concepts’‘key concepts’, but , but these must then be related to ‘real’ examples these must then be related to ‘real’ examples from different sourcesfrom different sources

Learning can concentrate on children from Learning can concentrate on children from different backgrounds different backgrounds learning from each learning from each other - dialogueother - dialogue