Religion and worldviews education and the paradox of inclusivity

Abstract

Paradoxes of inclusivity occur when attempts at inclusivity clash with the exclusive claims of some of the positions they seek to accommodate. In this article I identify and consider how such a paradox manifests in multi-faith religious education pedagogies—what I call the ‘paradox of interreligious inclusivity’ or ‘PIRI’, for short. After presenting some relevant and illuminating examples, I consider PIRI in regard to proposals in England for ‘religion and worldviews education’. By defining the conceptual problem at the root of challenges posed by such an innovation and pedagogical models more generally, I suggest greater recognition of the deep implications of PIRI are essential in any context when educators seek to include those of all religions and those of none in programmes of religious education.