Textbook Violence - James R. Lewis
Significant or Insignificant Absence? Religion and Violence in RE Textbooks for Norwegian Teacher Education
Textbook Violence - James R. Lewis
Bengt-Ove Andreassen [+]
University of Tromsø
Bengt-Ove Andreassen is Professor in Religious Studies at the University of Tromsø. He is also guest scholar in religious studies at University of Bergen in the period 2011-2013. One of his areas for research is themes related to religion in education and how perspectives from the academic study of religion can be applied in and to develop religion education (RE) in public school. Some publications: “On Ethics and religious culture (ERC) in Québec. Comments and comparative perspectives from a Norwegian and European context” in Religion & Education 38(3)(2011), Religionsdidaktikk. En innføring. Oslo: Universitetsforlaget (2012) (220 pages), and “Cristianity as culture and religions as religions. An analysis of the Core Curriculum as framwork for Norwegian RE” (forthcoming).
Description
The chapter analyses textbooks in RE designed for Norwegian teacher education. An analysis of twenty seven books shows that topics concerning religion and violence, conflict and extremism are rarely mentioned in these books. The main picture is thus that future RE teachers to a very little extent are introduced to issues that relates religion to violence, conflict or extremism. Based on this finding the chapter offers a principle discussion on the absence of related issues in RE in Norwegian teacher education.