The right to ‘bricolage’: Catholic pupils’ perception of their religious identity and the implications for Catholic schools in England

Abstract

The present article highlights one of the challenges faced by the Catholic Church in maintaining the Catholicity of Catholic schools in England, that is to say, the students’ construction of a fragmented Catholic identity from elements of the Catholic faith tradition. The article explores Catholic students’ perceptions of their Catholic identity. The author applies the French sociologist Danièle Hervieu-Léger’s theories concerning religious identity – the concept of religion as a chain of memory and religious bricolage – to data generated in interviews with a small sample of students in three English Catholic secondary schools. This article will outline Hervieu-Léger’s understanding of religious identity; explore students’ perceptions of their Catholic identity; examine these through the lens of Hervieu-Léger’s theory; and conclude with possible implications for religious education, Catholic schools and future research.