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The Place of Religion in Education for Citizenship and Social Justice

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The Palgrave International Handbook of Education for Citizenship and Social Justice

Abstract

Sears and Herriot examine the complex interplay between and among religion, citizenship and social justice in education. Beginning with a discussion of the diverse ways individuals and groups understand these concepts, the chapter moves on to consider several key themes including: the idea that religion is a ubiquitous and persistent part of modern societies; the anomaly that religious people, groups, and institutions are sometimes the victims of social injustice and discrimination and sometimes the purveyors of those same things; and the fluid and contested nature of human rights. The chapter concludes by arguing that negotiating the complexities of the intersections between religion, citizenship and social justice requires a high degree of religious literacy.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The website mygsa.ca describes a GSA as ‘a student-run group that provides a safe place for any and all students to meet and learn about all different orientations, to support each other while working together to end homophobia, and to raise awareness and promote equality for all human beings. In addition to being a group dedicated to support, it also strives to educate the surrounding areas and the community on different gender and equality issues.’

  2. 2.

    While sexual orientation is not explicitly listed in the Charter, it has been ‘read-in’ as a result of Vriend v. Alberta (1998), and is now explicitly stated in all provincial human rights codes. Recent attempts to add gender identity as protected from discrimination have passed in the House of Commons, but died in the Senate.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, Canada

    Alan Sears

  2. University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada

    Lindsay Herriot

Authors
  1. Alan Sears
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  2. Lindsay Herriot
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, Canterbury Christ Church University, Canterbury, United Kingdom

    Andrew Peterson

  2. Sch of Edu, Mawson Lakes Campus, University of South Australia, Magill, South Australia, Australia

    Robert Hattam

  3. Program of Educational Studies, Open University of Cyprus, Latsia, Cyprus

    Michalinos Zembylas

  4. Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom

    James Arthur

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Sears, A., Herriot, L. (2016). The Place of Religion in Education for Citizenship and Social Justice. In: Peterson, A., Hattam, R., Zembylas, M., Arthur, J. (eds) The Palgrave International Handbook of Education for Citizenship and Social Justice. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-51507-0_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-51507-0_14

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  • Print ISBN: 978-1-137-51506-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-137-51507-0

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