REDCo: A European Research Project on Religion in Education

Dialogical ‘Religious Education for All’ in Hamburg

“…In the context of a major research project -the REDCo project on Religion and Education in Europe (Weisse, 2007(Weisse, , 2011) -we asked pupils in the 14 to 16 year age group in Hamburg whether they would prefer to continue in RE for All with students of different religious and cultural backgrounds sharing the same classroom, or whether they preferred an RE separated along the lines of different confessions and religions.…”

The interpretive approach as a research tool: inside the REDCo project

“…The co-ordinator of the REDCo Project, Professor Wolfram Weisse, incorporated the interpretive approach into the project proposal (Weisse 2007). Weisse was conscious that his multinational project would draw on a range of different disciplinary, methodological and theoretical traditions and used the interpretive approach to provide theoretical stimulus for research and pedagogical development within the project.…”

“…The research was conducted by a consortium of scholars from nine European universities, from England (Warwick), Estonia (Tartu), France (Paris, Sorbonne), Germany (Hamburg and Münster), the Netherlands (Amsterdam, VU), Norway (Stavanger), the Russian Federation (St Petersburg) and Spain (Granada). In a project including researchers steeped in a range of epistemological and theoretical positions and methodological approaches, it was considered appropriate to use the interpretive approach not to impose any uniformity in theory, epistemology or method, but as a stimulus to theoretical thinking in relation to field research methods and to pedagogy (Weisse 2007).…”

“…Some ontological and epistemological issues relating to the approach have been debated (Eriksen 2010;Jackson 2008b;Wright 2008). The present discussion illustrates how the interpretive approach was used and developed as a tool during the European Commission REDCo project Weisse 2007). …”

Religious Structure of Child Education Policy in Germany, Poland and UK

“…The European Commission in this regard issued a White Paper on Intercultural Dialogue, Living Together As Equals in Dignity, the Council published a Recommendation in 2008. Researchers co-operated in developing a thematic and methodical approach designed to gain better insight into how European citizens of different religious, cultural and political backgrounds can live together and enter into a dialogue of mutual respect and understanding [3]- [7].…”