1. The Interpretive Approach to Religious Education Robert Jackson Warwick Religions and Education Research Unit REDCo Project May 2006

2. Hindu Children in Coventry What are the best methods for building a picture of children’s experience and understanding of religious activity? From phenomenology to ethnography… What are the best methods for building a picture of children’s experience and understanding of religious activity? From phenomenology to ethnography… How do you account for the inconsistency between conventional academic accounts of religions and accounts based on ethnographic study? History of religions and cultural criticism… How do you account for the inconsistency between conventional academic accounts of religions and accounts based on ethnographic study? History of religions and cultural criticism… Ethnographic Studies of Children

3. Representation: Wilfred Cantwell Smith  Religio as 'inner piety', 'devotion'; emotional and interior  Patristic and earlier Latin sources; 15th century Renaissance humanists; 16th century Protestant Reformers  ‘Religions’ as intellectual systems  17th and 18th centuries: ‘The Christian Religion’; The Hindoo Religion’  Religions as named systems  19th century: ‘Christianity’; ‘Hinduism’, ‘Buddhism’ etc  'Religion' as a generic category with universal essences 19th century

4. Smith: Religion as the Interplay of Faith and Tradition Faith personal and unique personal and unique inner religious experience inner religious experience relation to the ‘Transcendent’ relation to the ‘Transcendent’Tradition cumulative cumulative total historical deposit total historical deposit Using ‘faith’ and ‘tradition’ ‘...it is possible to...describe anything that has ever happened in the religious life of mankind’

5. Representation: Edward Said’s Orientalism A culturally determined attitude, deeply seated prejudice, presupposition, stereotype, ‘habitus’  determines how the ‘Orient’ is represented in the West  polarises people into us/them  knowledge linked to power  knowledge institutionalised  gains authority  transmitted intertextually  knowledge received as part of a culture's history  stronger group defines weaker groups

6. Ethnographic Interpretation: Clifford Geertz Working out the relationship between ‘parts’ (particular examples) and ‘wholes’ (your picture of ‘the culture’ or ‘the religion’) in a cultural situation Working out the relationship between ‘parts’ (particular examples) and ‘wholes’ (your picture of ‘the culture’ or ‘the religion’) in a cultural situation Moving between ‘experience-near’ (‘insider’) and ‘experience-distant’ (‘outsider’) concepts and symbols Moving between ‘experience-near’ (‘insider’) and ‘experience-distant’ (‘outsider’) concepts and symbols Sensitivity rather than empathy Sensitivity rather than empathy

7. Reflexivity  Rorty, Leach etc: re-assessing your understanding of own way of life (edification)  Ricouer ‘distanciation’: constructive critique at a distance of material studied  Ethnographic practice: making a running critique of research methods influence of methods/researcher on interpretation? influence of methods/researcher on interpretation? can the methods be improved? Eg Clifford can the methods be improved? Eg Clifford can findings be presented better? Eg Myerhoff can findings be presented better? Eg Myerhoff

8. Key Questions  How should we represent religious material to others? - Representation  What methods can we use to help students to interpret religious material? - Interpretation  How might students reflect on/ react to this material? - Reflexivity

9. Representation  individuals  groups  tradition

10. Interpretation  Comparison of unfamiliar and related familiar concepts  Relating particular examples from religions to the pupil’s develping awareness of the wider context  involving insiders

11. Reflexivity  learners re-assessing their understanding of own way of life (edification)  constructive critique at a distance of material studied  running 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?

12. The Interpretive Approach Representation of religions and ‘cultures’ showing their diversity Representation of religions and ‘cultures’ showing their diversity individuals, groups, traditions – ‘culture’ debate individuals, groups, traditions – ‘culture’ debate Interpretation Interpretation comparing and contrasting familiar and unfamiliar concepts comparing and contrasting familiar and unfamiliar concepts Reflexivity Reflexivity Pupils relating learning to their own concerns Pupils relating learning to their own concerns constructive criticism at a distance constructive criticism at a distance critique of study methods used critique of study methods used Start anywhere: with examples/pupils... Start anywhere: with examples/pupils...

13. Warwick RE Project: Bridges to Religions Source material is ethnographic studies of children in family and school Source material is ethnographic studies of children in family and school Children in class compare and contrast their concepts, experiences and beliefs Children in class compare and contrast their concepts, experiences and beliefs

14. Warwick RE Project: Bridges to Religions Texts deal with similarity and difference Texts deal with similarity and difference Diversity of views of children in class is recognised (meat eating, vegetarianism, special diets) Diversity of views of children in class is recognised (meat eating, vegetarianism, special diets)

15. The Warwick RE Project Uses ethnographic data as source material Uses ethnographic data as source material Involves children/parents in how they are represented Involves children/parents in how they are represented Shows individuals in the context of groups and wider tradition Shows individuals in the context of groups and wider tradition Shows young people in various 'cultural' situations and settings Shows young people in various 'cultural' situations and settings Requires children to compare and contrast their own experiences and concepts with children in the texts Requires children to compare and contrast their own experiences and concepts with children in the texts Encourages children to relate their own experience to the material studied Encourages children to relate their own experience to the material studied

16. Interpretive Approach: Development The key concepts of ‘representation’, ‘interpretation’, ‘reflexivity’ are transferable to other modes of learning/teaching The key concepts of ‘representation’, ‘interpretation’, ‘reflexivity’ are transferable to other modes of learning/teaching Learning should be seen as a relationship between the learner and what is studied – a movement back and forth between learner’s concerns and material studied Learning should be seen as a relationship between the learner and what is studied – a movement back and forth between learner’s concerns and material studied sometimes you can start with the learners (eg issues they are interested in), and relate these to examples from religious traditions sometimes you can start with the learners (eg issues they are interested in), and relate these to examples from religious traditions Learning can also start from ‘key concepts’, but these must then be related to ‘real’ examples from different sources Learning can also start from ‘key concepts’, but these must then be related to ‘real’ examples from different sources Learning can concentrate on children from different backgrounds learning from each other - dialogue Learning can concentrate on children from different backgrounds learning from each other - dialogue