The Bloomsbury Handbook of Religious Education in the Global South

Abstract

The Bloomsbury Handbook of Religious Education in the Global South presents new comparative perspectives on Religious Education (RE) across the global south. Including 24 chapters written by scholars from the Global North and South, this is the first authoritative reference work on the subject. The handbook is thematically organised into eight sections. The first five sections deal with provision, response to changes in contemporary society, decolonising RE, young people and RE, and perspectives on RE teachers. The last three sections cover RE in higher education, challenges and opportunities for RE and, finally comparative perspectives on RE in the Global South. The term ‘Global South’ is used here primarily to signify the deep economic divide with the global north but the term is also examined in historical, geographical, political, social and cultural terms, including the indelible influence of religion in all four broadly defined regions. Exploring RE from local, cross-national as well as regional and sub-regional perspectives, the handbook examines RE from its diverse past, present realities, and envisioned future revealing not only tensions, contestations, injustices and inequalities of power, but importantly, how inclusive forms of RE can help solve these problems.