Country Report: Turkey

Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals

Y

6

Foreign Countries; Religious Education; National Curriculum; Islam; Cultural Context; Values; Government Role; Educational Policy; Cultural Pluralism; Decision Making; Civil Rights; Parent Attitudes; Withdrawal (Education); Educational History; Teacher Qualifications; Judaism; Christianity; Elementary Secondary Education

10.1080/01416200.2019.1532227

0141-6200

In this country report on Turkey, Abdurrahman Hendek provides a clear, comprehensive and up-to-date account of religious eduction (RE) in Turkey. A state which seeks to be both 'religious' and 'secular' is a useful corrective to those thinking of the two as opposites and illustrates the Commission on RE's stress on the importance of interrogating the meaning of such terms in different contexts. Fascinating in itself, the Turkish situation provokes questions of interest beyond the Turkish context. How much should the religion of the majority dominate the curriculum? How can RE in school recognise diversity within traditions as well as across them? Which traditions should be included, and when? How far should RE inculcate the values determined by the government to be 'national' values? What does an RE that is 'objective, critical and pluralistic' look like? The recent decisions on Turkey by the European Commission on Human Rights discussed in the Report are certainly relevant to discussions elsewhere on the topic of parental rights of withdrawal.

ERIC

23

2018

EJ1198220