The religions of South and East Asia resist Eurocentric interpretations, such as the so-called World Religion Paradigm. However, they are subjected in various ways to hetero- and auto-orientalist ...representations that respond to Western ideals and expectations. This article analyzes how Italian Catholic teachers use online representations of East Asian religions in their lessons to teach these traditions. The aim is to shed light on the interplay, facilitated by online environments, between contemporary processes of Eurocentric and Orientalist interpretation and the educational and confessional motivations of confessional religious education teachers. The result of the analysis indicates that these factors concur to reinforce misleading representations, which contradicts the intercultural aims proclaimed by teachers and other Teaching of Catholic Religion stakeholders. Nevertheless, this article also individuates those elements that could be fruitfully framed in an academic study-of-religions perspective and suggests a modality of cooperation between Catholic Religion teachers and scholars of religions.
This work addresses the theme of Japanese religions in order to rethink theories and practices pertaining to the field of Religious Education. Through an interdisciplinary framework that combines the ...study of religions, didactics and intercultural education, this book puts the case study of Religious Education in England in front of two ‘challenges’ in order to reveal hidden spots, tackle unquestioned assumptions and highlight problematic areas. These ‘challenges’, while focusing primarily on Japanese religions, are addressed within the wider contexts of other East Asian traditions and of the modern historical exchanges with the Euro-American societies. As result, a model for teaching Japanese and other East Asian religions is discussed and proposed in order to fruitfully engage issues such as orientalism, occidentalism, interculturality and critical thinking.
Le religioni asiatiche secondo gli adolescenti italiani Lapis, Giovanni
Annali di Ca' Foscari : Rivista della Facoltà di lingue e letterature straniere dell'Università di Venezia,
08/2023, Volume:
59, Issue:
1
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
Research on the cultural influence of Asian religions in Western countries tends to overlook younger actors as receivers and producers of innovation. By applying a theoretical framework that ...highlights the cultural role of nationalism, neoliberalism and consumerism in shaping religious behaviour, the article analyses, through interviews, the interpretation of Asian religions among a purposive sample of adolescents and put them within the larger context of the physical and mediatic presence of these religions in society. It argues that these adolescents further align themselves with those trends in Italian society which follow the so-called ‘Global Market Regime’. It also provides reflections on the implications of this situation concerning religious and intercultural education.
EN Religious and cultural diversity are today more than ever a critical and political challenge as the recent emergencies related to geo-political and economical global transformations clearly show. ...European countries are concerned by a big immigration flow that demands an educational effort in order to foster the mutual understanding and integration. According to Toledo guiding principles, IERS project meets the needs of an innovative approach in teaching about religions and beliefs at school by providing teachers of humanistic disciplines with new tools that help teachers and pupils to plunge deeper into religions and cultures of non-european countries, as well as raising the knowledge of the religious traditions that contributed to the common European cultural Identity, promoting it in the best way suited for encourage intra -and extra- European cultural dialogue attitudes. The Project aims to support the development of social, civic and intercultural transversal key competences by educating towards a positive understanding of cultural and religious differences, a readiness to engage in dialogue and to avoid or manage conflicts. By encouraging teachers and pupils to expose themselves to the differences and commonalities of religious topics, it promotes also the values of democracy, equality and human rights as it deals with social and civic dimensions of both intercultural and interreligious dialogue. The project will involve high school in-service teachers by developing a complete set of didactical tools and training experiences. The results will be: 1. A baseline study which analyzes the actual situation of teaching about religions throughout Europe; 2. New innovative didactic tools such as Multimedia Digital Modules to be used in classroom activities, accompanied by a Handbook with didactical guidelines for teachers. 3. Teacher support activities (virtual community, training activities, developing of didactical projects to apply in classroom).
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