Tid for terror. Læreres håndtering av kontroversielle spørsmål i skolens religions- og livssynsundervisning

Abstract

Religious Education in Norway has been criticised for avoiding conflict perspectives and controversial issues. This article looks closer at some of these issues by focusing on how teachers in upper secondary school have dealt with the terrorist attacks in Norway on 22 July 2011 in the subject matter Religion and Ethics. This study takes as a starting point a previous study among students in upper secondary schools and their perceptions of what school has done in the aftermath of the incident, by adding teachers’ perspectives (Anker & von der Lippe 2015). The findings from the student survey showed that 22 July has almost been silenced in school, and the interviews with the teachers partly confirm this. The picture is however broadened, and shows that teachers have dealt with the issues in different ways. An important finding is that teachers´ personal and academic competencies seem to be important for whether and how controversial subjects are included in their teachings or not.Keywords: 22. July, controversial issues, democratic citizenship, religious extremism, religious educationNøkkelord: 22. juli, kontroversielle problemer, demokratisk statsborgerskap, religiøs ekstremisme, religionsundervisning