A special issue in the Forum for International Research in Education slotted for publication in fall 2018 is calling for papers on the topic: “Religious identity and education: A response to contemporary global pressures”
One of the challenges and pressures which globalization has engendered for national education systems, schools, and classrooms worldwide is the growth of religious diversity. Thus, in many places, religious diversity has become a new reality of schooling, to which educators do not necessarily know how to properly respond. Moreover, in the context of religious resurgences around the globe, the growth of religious diversity is often associated with the increase in significance of one’s religious identity and its ardent embrace. By contrast, in secularized settings, there is often resistance and animosity to open manifestations of religious identities. Furthermore, as is true with any social identity, religious and secular identities often become markers that differentiate “us” and “them,” and, therefore, may breed inter-group tensions and conflicts. This special issue addresses this new social reality and its educational implications. We invite papers, which discuss if and how educational establishments worldwide, whether public or private, religious or secular, respond to the problems associated with the surge in diversity and significance of religious identity in the age of globalization and its pressures. We especially welcome papers which comparatively examine if and how teaching of, about, or from religious or spiritual traditions reflects, aggravates, or alleviates social, cultural, economic, or political inter-group tensions inside or outside school walls.
Keywords: religious diversity; religious identity; secular identity; education; secularization; religious tradition; spiritual tradition
Deadline: February 9, 2018. In your submission, please include:
A 250 word abstract to describe and clarify the article you would like to contribute,
5-6 key words in relation to your abstract, the professional name(s), institutional affiliation(s), and email address(es) of the author(s).
FIRE accepts manuscripts in other languages, so long as an English translation of the full manuscript is submitted as well. If you would like to submit in this format, please let us know when you submit the abstract. Note: The English and non-English manuscripts will both be reviewed.
Please send all submissions to W. Y. Alice Chan. This cfp is initially set for CIES R&E SIG members but submissions from others are welcome. Please feel free to share this with others in your network as well.