Programme full

Wednesday 15 April 2015 11:00 - 12:30
PAPER SESSION 2
through the years, enables us to confront Bourdieu perspective with its very own premises. It tackles the issue of
'theory effects' through the lenses of time, in relation to social trajectories. It also questions sociological knowledge
and its possible practical use within the social world. This latest issue cannot be addressed without epistemological
and pedagogical concerns regarding how and why a society should/could integrate social science knowledge within its
educational system.
Sociology of Religion
W622, HAMISH WOOD BUILDING
Faith-based Schooling in Rural Communities
Hemming, P.
(Cardiff University)
Over the last decade or so, the issue of faith-based schooling has featured prominently in media and policy forums,
particularly in relation to concerns about national values, urban social cohesion and community relations. Yet much of
the faith-based education sector in England and Wales actually consists of small, rural Anglican schools, which are
largely ignored in these debates. Similarly, research on rural primary schools in general has been rather limited to
date, and religious character very rarely features in discussions about the relationship between village schools and
their wider community. This paper seeks to begin to address this conspicuous gap in the literature by exploring the
distinctive role that church primary schools play in two contrasting rural contexts in England and Wales. In doing so, it
considers the significance of this role for debates on faith schooling and rural education, as well as wider theories
about the role of religion in 'post-secular' public space.
'British Values': Religion, Education and the Media
Hanemann, R.
(University of Kent at Canterbury)
In March 2014, a story broke about a leaked letter that seemed to reveal a plot by hard-line Islamists to take over
several Birmingham schools. Media coverage about this plot, dubbed 'Operation Trojan Horse,' sparked debate
amongst UK media and politicians about the role of religion in English schools, as well as about 'British values.' This
incident revealed the need for a framework to help academics, journalists and policy-makers understand how religious
communities exist in and contribute to a society that prioritizes liberalism and pluralism.
My PhD thesis employed ethnographic research to explore the ways in which a Catholic secondary school navigated
tensions between the perceived illiberal nature of Catholicism and their citizenship in a society they experienced as
liberal. Using my PhD research and Operation Trojan Horse as examples, I now propose to expand that research to
establish a framework for understanding what ideas must be negotiated and how tensions can be managed so that
schools of religious character – and other religious communities involved in education – can maintain a cohesive
religious identity while participating in a wider education system that is understood as liberal and broadly secular.
This framework has implications for education policy, as it would create a language and a space for understanding the
tensions experienced by religious communities in England, as well as for understanding the concerns expressed by
politicians and in the media.
From Dartington Hall to Osho Ko Hsuan: The Desire for Alternative Schooling Continues
van Eck Duymaer van Twist, A.
(London School of Economics and Political Science)
The wish to raise the next generation within the beliefs and values of the parents' religion persists. Conventional
schools are often found lacking, and alternatives with Krishna-ised, Islamicised, Christianised, Scientology or
Anthroposophical curriculums are occasionally preferred. In allowing such pedagogical liberties, are we as a society
regressing from what we know to be scientific fact (the whole unadulterated scientific curriculum rather than for
example a Krishna-ised version), or are we progressing toward acceptance and mutual respect? For some education
is about more than teaching facts and curriculum; rather an approach and overarching norms and values. One might
argue that one person's idea of progression is another's idea of regression. There is a diversity of alternative forms of
schooling, and recent government policy has affected the provision of alternatives. This talk will present a range of
alternative schooling approaches, an analysis of the varieties of arguments for and against such schooling, methods
107 BSA Annual Conference 2015
Glasgow Caledonian University