Geographies of Faith in Education

This chapter addresses the contentious issue of faith in education, especially the role that religion plays in and around state-funded education systems. It focuses on the significance of geography for making sense of these debates and its potential to enrich this interdisciplinary field of research. The chapter begins by outlining recent developments in the “new” geographies of education, particularly the significance of space, place and scale for analyzing educational processes. It then goes on to consider three main areas in which religion often features in educational arrangements and experiences. The first of these is the contested curriculum, where religious education, science and sex education are central concerns. The second is the faith schools debate, which features competing constructions of community, some that emphasize belonging and cohesion and others segregation and division. The third is the relationship between religion, citizenship and identity, particularly the extent to which schools recognize and accommodate religious minorities. In each of these contexts, the importance of geography is highlighted through reference to various spatial and scalar dimensions. The chapter ends with reflections on the contributions that geographical scholarship on religion in education could make to broader questions about the purpose of education and the place of religion in wider society.