Religious education, antisemitism and the curriculum in Norway.

Abstract

Using a content analysis, this study critically explores the religious education (RE) curriculum for primary and secondary school in Norway with a view towards highlighting references to antisemitism and the Norwegian holocaust, especially in relation to the teaching of Judaism. The study focuses on inclusive education from the perspective of the religious education curriculum. The findings reveal that while aspects of the history of Christianity are taught employing a local lens, this does not extend to Judaism. We argue that this statutory omission is problematic given the historical contours of antisemitism which found its apotheosis in the Norwegian holocaust and the contemporaneous recrudescence of antisemitism. Given the historical conflation of religion and ethnicity in regard to Jews, it is argued that the RE curriculum should include pedagogical measures that aim at combatting antisemitism. Commensurate with a contrapuntal pedagogy that aims at counteracting antisemitism, we posit some examples for the consideration of RE teachers.