Abstract
Terrorism is commonly considered to be a controversial issue in religious education (RE). RE teachers find it a challenging topic to address, and many avoid it altogether. This article explores the question of addressing terrorism in RE by analysing and discussing empirical observations of RE lessons in an upper secondary school in Norway in the weeks following the terror attacks in Paris in November 2015. Using framing theory, the article discusses aspects of the empirical case study, contextualised by the discussion about controversial issues in education. The main claim of the article is that, rather than seeing the terror attacks as a controversial issue in itself, the terror attacks should be treated as an event that has the potential to tap into several different controversial issues depending on the way it is framed. When addressed in the RE classroom, the teachers actively transform the event into a pedagogical issue, framed in accordance with the nature and aims of the subject. The students, however, often contest this pedagogical framing. This article discusses the interplay between teachers’ plans, students’ reactions, and the role of media in classroom interaction about the Paris attacks.
Highlights
On 13 November 2015, a series of coordinated terror attacks hit Paris
The Paris attacks are an example of an event that can be seen as a controversial issue in schools generally and in religious education (RE)
The current case study is not a typical case of how terrorism is approached in the RE classroom
Summary
On 13 November 2015, a series of coordinated terror attacks hit Paris. The event was extensively covered and mediated across the world. Based on empirical material from a case study of religious education (RE) in an upper secondary school in Norway, this article discusses how the attacks were thematised in lessons about Islam in the weeks following the attacks. Controversial issues can be addressed in different ways, and the choices educators make will impact how students can engage with these issues This is the case when it comes to terrorism (see Flensner 2019; Hess 2009). In other countries with similar models of RE to Norway, terrorism is considered to be a controversial issue that teachers tend to avoid or at least find challenging to teach and discuss in the classroom (e.g., Flensner 2019; Quartermaine 2016). (Utdanningsdirektoratet 2006, p. 1)
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