Reported schooling experiences of adolescent Jews attending non-Jewish secondary schools in England

Abstract

This paper explores the reported schooling experiences of 28 adolescents attending non-Jewish English secondary schools who self-identified as Jews. Their reported school peerinteractions suggest Jews attending non-Jewish schools may face several challenges from members of non-Jewish peer groups, including anti-Semitism. Their reported experiences of classroom worlds, on the other hand, suggest that curricula and pedagogical methods could be perceived to exacerbate these challenges. These findings are discussed in relation to two on-going educational debates: the provision of state-funded faith schools, and the debate about the nature and purpose of the curriculum subject Religious Education in non-faith schools.

Doubts about Religious Education in public schooling

“…The representation of religions other than Christianity in Religious Education can also be inauthentic and inaccurate (Moulin, 2015;Revell, 2010Revell, , 2012. Ipgrave (1999) found that Muslim students reported different explanations for religious practices and beliefs than those incorporated in Religious Education lessons.…”

“…My aim is to reconsider Garforth's observations with a particular consideration of the potential impact Religious Education may have on those students who may identify with, practice, or believe in, a religion. I draw upon recent empirical research, including interview studies I conducted while a postgraduate student at the University of Oxford exploring the reported schooling experiences of adolescent Christians, Jews and Muslims (Moulin, 2011(Moulin, , 2014(Moulin, , 2015 forthcoming 1 ).…”

Testing the Contact Hypothesis: The Association Between Personal Friendships and Anti-Jewish Attitudes Among 13- to 15-Year-Old Students in England and Wales

“…Moreover, few empirical studies have investigated the direct experiences of religious minority young people in schools and specifically the experiences of Jewish students. In the UK, a small body of empirical research supports the assertion that Jewish students experience hostility and discrimination, and that they can experience anti-Semitic prejudice in school from their peers (Short & Carrington, 1992;Moulin, 2011Moulin, , 2016Ipgrave, 2012). A study of 34 Jewish and Christian students by Moulin (2011) found that anti-Semitic name-calling, prejudice and harassment from school peers, or fear of it, was a concern for Jewish students attending non-Jewish secondary schools.…”

5. Medialiserte fordommer?

“…Medialiseringen av religion har også betydning for skolen, religionsundervisningen og de religiøses skoletilvaerelse. Religionsviter Daniel Moulin (2016a;2016b) og utdannelsesforskerne David R. Dupper, Shandra Forrest-Bank og Autumn Lowry-Carusillo (2015) viser i en engelsk kontekst at religiøse stereotypier hentet fra populaerkulturen eller dagsaktuelle nyheter benyttes i diskriminering og mobbing av jødiske, kristne og muslimske elever (Dupper et al, 2015;Moulin, 2016a;2016b). I en norsk kontekst har religionsviter Marie von der Lippe (2011) vist hvordan klasseromsdiskusjoner om religion, herunder islam, avspeiler den dominerende diskursen om religion og islam i Norge (von der Lippe, 2011).…”

“…Hvordan tolket de i så fall slike omtaler av jøder? Samtidig indikerte engelsk og norsk forskning om jøders og andre minoriteters erfaringer fra skolen at medias fremstillinger av disse gruppene i nyheter og populaerkulturen bidro til medelevers fordommer om jøder og andre minoriteters (Dupper, Forrest-Bank & Lowry-Carusillo, 2015;Moulin, 2016a;2016b;Toft, 2017). Derfor var det også interessant å undersøke deltagernes oppfattelse av hvordan media omtalte jødene.…”