A Hermeneutics of Religious Education

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What does it mean to understand a religion How should the concept of truth be addressed in the contemporary classroom What is the proper subject matter of religious education and how does it relate to other subjects and the school curriculum as a whole Despite the prevalence of literature on these subjects, these issues are far from resolved and consequently the place and nature of religious education in our schools is precarious and confused. A Hermeneutics of Religious Education argues that although the tradition of philosophical hermeneutics has transformed both educational thought and the academic discipline of religious studies, the literature of religious education pedagogy has paid only limited attention to these developments. To engage with them fully entails a transformation of our understanding of religious education and its importance in a curriculum of the twenty-first century.

Reviews

This book offers an excellent contribution to current debates in RE and beyond. It draws together and explores in depth a number of philosophical issues that have influenced RE, including phenomenology ... [and] offers a challenge to engage and to travel with the author and to question and engage with one's own perspective alongside those presented in the book. It is a book that should appear on the reading list of all those training to teach RE. * British Journal of Religious Education *
A critical exploration of an entirely new way of conceptualising religious education and learning within it. ... The book has [numerous] significant features ... However, I consider that the third feature, the theory of dialogue, is the book's most important contribution. ... In conclusion, there is much for the teacher to gain from this book ... It is certainly a challenging and rewarding one. * RE Today *
A thorough and convincing argument that phenomenological hermeneutics can be fruitfully employed to unlock fundamental and intractable questions within religious education and education more broadly. Lucid and engaging, the text is both thoroughly readable and meticulously researched. Aldridge draws upon a range of sources, particularly Gadamer and Heidegger, to show that philosophical hermeneutics provides a comprehensive reflection on the nature of understanding itself, thereby furnishing us with a novel approach to understanding the peculiarly complex world of religious education. Aldridge demonstrates why religious educators need to address their subject through the lens of understanding as such. The implications, however, go well beyond curriculum issues within religious education, cutting across debates within education and religion more generally. This is an excellent book that contributes many fresh insights to a vital and timely debate. * David Lewin, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy of Education, Liverpool Hope University, UK *

Author Bio

David Aldridge is Reader in Education at Brunel University, UK.