Religious education and hermeneutics: the case of teaching about Islam |
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Authors: | Farid Panjwani Lynn Revell |
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Institution: | 1. Director of the Centre for Research and Evaluation in Muslim Education (CRèME) at the Institute of Education, University College Londonf.panjwani@ucl.ac.uk;3. Reader in Religion and Education, Canterbury Christ Church University, UK |
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Abstract: | ABSTRACTThis article attempts to do three things: the first is an exploration of the ways in which Islam is presented in an essentialist way (with a focus on religious education (RE) in England and Wales), leading to stereotypes and unsubstantiated generalisations that are then embedded in resources and agreed syllabi, secondly, it provides a critique of essentialism, and finally a case is made for the role of hermeneutics in the teaching and learning of Islam. We argue that a hermeneutical approach is a sound way to both conceptualise the phenomenon of Islam and a pedagogical opening to make sense of it, that may help overcome some of the weaknesses of the current ways of teaching about Islam. |
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Keywords: | Hermeneutics Islam essentialism stereotypes diversity Muslims |
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