Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dsjbd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T08:15:11.274Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Administering Secularization: Religious Education in New South Wales since 1960

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 June 2011

Damon Mayrl
Damon Mayrl*
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, University of California, Berkeley [[email protected]].
Get access

Abstract

This paper examines the development of religious education policy in the government schools of New South Wales (Australia) since 1960. The New South Wales religious education curriculum features three components: (1) teacher-led “general religious education” (gre); (2) right-of-entry denominational instruction provided by visiting clergy (“special religious education”, or sre); and (3) occasional additional devotional exercises such as hymns and prayers. Between 1960 and 1980, this system underwent a partial secularization. gre was transformed from a straightforward course in Christianity built around government-produced Scripture readers to a flexible curricular component built around the academic study of multiple religions. At the same time, sre was strengthened and had its position in the curriculum secured; and devotional exercises were allowed to continue only in those settings where they formed an “appropriate” match with the community. I find that “secularizing” reforms were most consistently driven by teachers and administrators with practical motives: avoiding controversy, improving working conditions, and facilitating class management. This finding both challenges and complements recent works that interpret secularization as a political process driven by politicians and professionals primarily interested in enhancing their power or prestige at the expense of religious actors.

Résumé

L’article porte sur l’évolution de la politique d’éducation religieuse dans les établissements scolaires publics des Nouvelles Galles du Sud depuis 1960. Trois volets : l’éducation religieuse de base dispensée par un maître, le droit pour les dénominations d’offrir un cours spécifique dispensé par un prêtre ou un pasteur, et enfin les expressions circonstancielles, hymnes et prières. Entre 1960 et 1980 une sécularisation partielle a remplacé le catéchisme avec manuel officiel, par un cours flexible d’introduction scientifique aux diverses religions. Les enseignements dispensés par des ministres d’un culte ont vu leur place dans le curriculum consolidée. Ces réformes ont été conduites à partir d’un point de vue pragmatique et dans un souci d’harmonie. Elles vont à l’encontre de l’idée selon laquelle sécularisation irait nécessairement avec idéologie antireligieuse et luttes de pouvoir.

Zusammenfassung

Dieser Beitrag erörtert die religiöse Erziehungspolitik in öffentlichen Schulen Neusüdwales seit 1960. Drei Aspekte werden beleuchtet: der von einem Lehrer erteilte Religionsunterricht, das Recht einer besonderen Unterweisung durch eine katholischen oder evangelischen Pfarrer und schließlich gelegenheitsgebundene Ausdrucksformen, wie Hymnen oder Gebete. Zwischen 1960 und 1980 hat eine Teilsäkularisierung zur Abschaffung des Religionsunterrichts mit offiziellem Unterrichtsmaterial geführt, der durch einen flexiblen Unterricht mit einer wissenschaftlichen Einführung in verschiedene Religionen ersetzt wurde. Der jeweils von offiziellen Vertretern einer Religion erteilte Unterricht wurde im Weiteren verstärkt. Sowohl pragmatische Ansätze als auch Harmoniegedanken haben zu diesen Reformen geführt, die widerlegen, dass die Säkularisation hautpsächlich ein politischer Prozess sei, der von Politkern und anderen Akteuren geführt würde, um ihre eigene Macht oder ihr eigenes Prestige auf Kosten der Kirchen zu stärken.

Keywords

SecularizationReligious educationAustraliaGovernment SchoolsSécularisationEnseignement religieuxAustralieÉcoles publiques.SäkularisationReligionsunterrichtAustralienÖffentliche Schulen.
Type
Research Articles
Information
European Journal of Sociology / Archives Européennes de Sociologie , Volume 52 , Issue 1 , April 2011 , pp. 111 - 142
Copyright
Copyright © A.E.S. 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Barcan, Alan, 1980. A History of Australian Education (Melbourne, Oxford University Press).Google Scholar
Berger, Peter L., 1969. The Sacred Canopy: Elements of a Sociological Theory of Religion (New York, Anchor Books).Google Scholar
Berger, Peter, Davie, Grace and Fokas, Effie, 2008. Religious America, Secular Europe? A Theme and Variations (Burlington, Ashgate Press).Google Scholar
Black, Alan W., 1975. Religious Studies in Australian Public Schools: An Overview and Analysis (Hawthorne, Australian Council for Educational Research).Google Scholar
Bouma, Gary D., 2006. Australian Soul: Religion and Spirituality in the Twenty-First Century (Cambridge, Cambridge University Press).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bruce, Steve, 2002. God Is Dead: Secularization in the West (Oxford, Blackwell).Google Scholar
Burns, K.J., 1963. “Education in Religion and Morals in the Primary Schools of New South Wales”, M.Ed. thesis, University of Sydney.Google Scholar
Casanova, Jose, 1994. Public Religions in the Modern World (Chicago, University of Chicago Press).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Casanova, Jose, 2006. “Rethinking Secularization: A Global Comparative Perspective”, Hedgehog Review, 8, pp. 7-22.Google Scholar
Chaves, Mark, 1994. “Secularization as Declining Religious Authority”, Social Forces, 72, pp. 749-74.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cleverley, John, 1972. “The State Primary School Teacher between the Wars” in Cleverley, John and Lawry, Jonathan, eds., Australian Education in the Twentieth Century (Camberwell, Longman Australia, pp. 77-98).Google Scholar
Connell, William F., 1993. Reshaping Australian Education, 1960-1985 (Melbourne, Australian Council for Educational Research).Google Scholar
Dobbelaere, Karel, 1981. “Secularization: A Multi-dimensional Concept”, Current Sociology 29, pp. 1-216.Google Scholar
Dolbeare, Kenneth and Hammond, Phillip, 1971. The School Prayer Decisions: From Court Policy to Local Practice (Chicago, University of Chicago Press).Google Scholar
Evans, Peter B., Rueschemeyer, Dietrich and Skocpol, Theda, eds., 1985. Bringing the State Back In (New York, Cambridge University Press).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gill, Anthony, 2008. The Political Origins of Religious Liberty (Cambridge, Cambridge University Press).Google Scholar
Gorski, Philip S., 2003. “Historicizing the Secularization Debate: An Agenda for Research” in Dillon, Michele, ed., Handbook of the Sociology of Religion (Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, pp. 110-22).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gorski, Philip S., 2005. “The Return of the Repressed: Religion and the Political Unconscious of Historical Sociology” in Adams, Julia, Clemens, Elisabeth S. and Orloff, Ann Shola, eds., Remaking Modernity: Politics, History, and Sociology (Durham, Duke University Press, pp. 161-89).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harman, Grant S., 1975. “Pressure Group Politics in Education: A Case Study” in Edgar, Donald E., ed., Sociology of Australian Education: A Book of Readings (Sydney, McGraw-Hill, pp. 84-100).Google Scholar
Hill, B.V. ,1971. “Religious and Moral Issues in Australian Schools” in Maclaine, A.G. and Smith, R. Selby, eds., Fundamental Issues in Australian Education (Sydney, Ian Novak, pp. 68-101).Google Scholar
Hughes, John P., 1999. “Harold Wyndham: A Study in Education and Administration”, Ph.D. diss., University of Sydney.Google Scholar
Justice, Benjamin, 2005. The War That Wasn’t: Religious Conflict and Compromise in the Common Schools of New York State, 1865-1900 (Albany, State University of New York Press).Google Scholar
Kuru, Ahmet T., 2009. Secularism and State Policies toward Religion: The United States, France, and Turkey (Cambridge, Cambridge University Press).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Langdon, A.A. 1964. “The Attitude of the Churches in the ‘General Religious Teaching’ Issue”, Journal of Christian Education, 7 (2/3), pp. 66-82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Langdon, A.A., 1973. “Outline History of General Religious Teaching in the Public Schools of New South Wales”, Journal of Christian Education, 16(1), pp. 7-20.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Langdon, A.A., 1976. “New South Wales” in Religious Education in the State Schools of the Australian States, the A.C.T., and New Zealand (Mount Martha, Australian Council of Churches Division of Education, pp. 3-6).Google Scholar
Langdon, A.A., 1986. The Anatomy of Religious Education in Schools (Sydney, Christian Education Publications).Google Scholar
Martin, David, 1978. A General Theory of Secularization (Oxford, Blackwell Books).Google Scholar
Martin, David, 2005. On Secularization: Towards a Revised General Theory (Burlington, Ashgate).Google Scholar
Mitchell, Bruce, 1975. Teachers, Education, and Politics: A History of Organizations of Public School Teachers in New South Wales (St. Lucia, University of Queensland Press).Google Scholar
Rixon, L.D. 1973a. “Important Documents about Religious Education in Government Schools in New South Wales, Part II”, Journal of Christian Education, 16(1), pp. 21-50.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rixon, L.D., 1973b. “Important Documents about Religious Education in Government Schools in New South Wales, Part III” Journal of Christian Education, 16(3), pp. 198-214.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rossiter, Graham, 1981. Religious Education in Australian Schools (Canberra, Curriculum Development Centre).Google Scholar
Rutland, Suzanne D. and Caplan, Sophie, 1998. With One Voice: A History of the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies (Darlinghurst, Australian Jewish Historical Society).Google Scholar
Smith, Christian, 2003a. “Introduction: Rethinking the Secularization of American Public Life” in Smith, Christian, ed., The Secular Revolution: Power, Interests, and Conflict in the Secularization of American Public Life (Berkeley, University of California Press, pp. 1-96).Google Scholar
Smith, Christian., ed., 2003b. The Secular Revolution: Power, Interests, and Conflict in the Secularization of American Public Life (Berkeley, University of California Press).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stark, Rodney and Finke, Roger, 2000. Acts of Faith: Explaining the Human Side of Religion (Berkeley, University of California Press).Google Scholar
Turney, Cliff, 1972. “Continuity and Change in the Public Primary Schools, 1914-1932” in Cleverley, John and Lawry, Jonathan, eds., Australian Education in the Twentieth Century (Camberwell, Longman Australia, pp. 32-76).Google Scholar
Weber, Max, 1946. “Science as a Vocation” in Gerth, H. Hans and Mills, C. Wright, eds., From Max Weber: Essays in Sociology (Oxford, Oxford University Press, pp. 129-56).Google Scholar
Wigney, L. 1958. “Provisions for Religious Education in the State School Systems of Australia and in the Territory of Papua New Guinea” Journal of Christian Education 1(2), pp. 69-80.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

SOURCES

Anonymous, c. 1937. Untitled, undated memorandum, container 20/13031, Folder “Religious Instruction 1926-1938” (Kingswood, State Records).Google Scholar
Beckenham, P.W., 1967. “The British and Foreign Bible Society in Australia: Request to Visit Schools”, Memorandum, 9 November, container 12/4974, item 67/41870 (Kingswood, State Records).Google Scholar
Booth, W.B., 1969. “Staffing 1970”, memorandum, 18 September, item 67/40972 (Kingswood, State Records).Google Scholar
Buchan, A.J., c. 1972. “1972 Staffing - Scripture”, undated memorandum, item 67/40972 (Kingswood, State Records).Google Scholar
Buggie, J., 1974. Letter to H.F. Muller, 6 December, container 13/7191, item 71/45181 (Kingswood, State Records).Google Scholar
Craig, A.J., 1977a. “Progress Report by Subcommittee on Place of Religion in Education” memorandum, February 1977, Container 12/11024.2, item 75/47882 (Kingswood, State Records).Google Scholar
Craig, A.J., 1977b. “Submissions to Committee: Summary of Main Points”, memorandum, May 1977, container 12/11024.2, item 75/47882 (Kingswood, State Records).Google Scholar
Curnow, M., 1966. “Supply of School Readers for 1967”, memorandum, 23 February, item 67/40613 (Kingswood, State Records).Google Scholar
Cutler, Charles, 1967. Letter to B.G. Judd, 5 July, container 19/8249 (Kingswood, State Records).Google Scholar
Davies, John, 1962. Letter to nsw Teachers Federation, 25 June, deposit N111/1677 (Canberra, Noel Butlin Labour Archives).Google Scholar
Education, 1952. “Principles of Christianity”, 23 July.Google Scholar
Education, 1956. “Preparation for Scripture Teaching and Moral Training”, 14 March.Google Scholar
Education, 1967. “Staff Shortages”, 15 November.Google Scholar
Education, 1969. “Scripture Periods”, 5 February.Google Scholar
Education, 1971. “Working Conditions: Resolution Adopted by Annual Conference 1970”, 3 February.Google Scholar
Frame, L. 1975. Letter to K. Burns, 13 October, deposit N111/745 (Canberra, Noel Butlin Labour Archives).Google Scholar
Hoggan, Preston, 1972. “Extras and Administration”, Education, 31 May.Google Scholar
Inter-Church Commission on Religious Education in Schools (nsw) [iccoreis], 2011. Special Religious Education Handbook, (Sydney, author, http://www.iccoreis.asn.au/documents/SREHandbook.pdf accessed 3 February 2011).Google Scholar
Johnston, N.McG, 1965. “School Readers and Scripture Books”, memorandum, 3 June, item 67/40613 (Kingswood, State Records).Google Scholar
Lancaster, I.G., 1963. Letter to E. Wetherell, 9 August, deposit N111/1677 (Canberra Noel Butlin Labour Archive).Google Scholar
Lindsay, F.M., c. 1973. “Confidential Report on Scripture in Secondary Schools in N.S.W., 1973”, undated report, attached as Appendix 3 to C.L Macdonald, memorandum, 10 April, container K284064, item 72/46387 (Kingswood, State Records).Google Scholar
Marks, Bronwyn, 1976. “Recommendations to Executive/Council on Religion in Government Schools ad Hoc Committee”, memorandum, 4 June, deposit N111/440 (Canberra, Noel Butlin Labour Archive).Google Scholar
Metherell, Terry, 1989. Excellence and Equity: New South Wales Curriculum Reform (Sydney, nsw Ministry of Education and Youth Affairs).Google Scholar
New South Wales Humanist Society c. 1962. “A Report by the Sub-Committee of the nsw Humanist Society on Religious Education in nsw State Primary Schools (with Special Reference to the 1959 Revised Social Studies Syllabus)”, undated report, item 67/41253 (Kingswood, State Records).Google Scholar
New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies, c. 1964. “Religious Instruction in State Schools”, undated memorandum, box 39, nsw Jewish Board of Deputies Files (Sydney, Archive of Australian Judaica).Google Scholar
New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies, 1965. “Department of Education Curriculum for Primary Schools on General Religious and Moral Education”, memorandum, September 1965, box 39, nsw Jewish Board of Deputies Files (Sydney, Archive of Australian Judaica).Google Scholar
New South Wales Teachers’ Federation 1959. Executive Minutes, 17 November, deposit Z327/107 (Canberra, Noel Butlin Labour Archives).Google Scholar
New South Wales Teachers’ Federation, 1962a. Council Minutes, 18 August, deposit Z327/52 (Canberra, Noel Butlin Labour Archives).Google Scholar
New South Wales Teachers’ Federation, 1962b. Executive Minutes, 6 December, deposit Z327/111 (Canberra, Noel Butlin Labour Archives).Google Scholar
New South Wales Teachers’ Federation, 1963a. Executive Minutes, 12 September, deposit Z327/112 (Canberra, Noel Butlin Labour Archives).Google Scholar
New South Wales Teachers’ Federation, 1963b. Executive Minutes, 11 November, deposit Z327/112 (Canberra, Noel Butlin Labour Archives).Google Scholar
New South Wales Teachers’ Federation, 1964. Council Minutes, 12 December, deposit Z327/61 (Canberra, Noel Butlin Labour Archives).Google Scholar
New South Wales Teachers’ Federation, 1968. Annual Conference Transcript, 16 December, deposit N111/2624 (Canberra, Noel Butlin Labour Archives).Google Scholar
New South Wales, 1984. Discrimination and Religious Conviction. Report of the Anti-Discrimination Board (Sydney, Government Printer).Google Scholar
New South Wales. Department of Education 1959. Curriculum for Primary Schools: The Social Studies (1959 Revision) (Sydney, Government Printer).Google Scholar
New South Wales. Department of Education, 1963. Curriculum for Primary Schools: The Social Studies (1963 Revision) (Sydney, Government Printer).Google Scholar
New South Wales. Department of Education, 1964. Curriculum for Primary Schools: General Religious and Moral Education (Sydney, Government Printer).Google Scholar
New South Wales. Department of Education, c. 1966. Scripture Stories for Junior Classes in Primary Schools (Sydney, Government Printer).Google Scholar
New South Wales. Department of Education, 1974. Aims of Primary Education in nsw.: An Interim Statement (Sydney, Government Printer).Google Scholar
New South Wales. Department of Education, 1978. The Executive Structure in N.S.W. Primary Schools (Sydney, Government Printer).Google Scholar
New South Wales. Department of Education, 1980. Religion in Education in nsw Government Schools. Report of the Committee to Consider Religious Education in nsw Government Schools (Sydney, Government Printer).Google Scholar
New South Wales. Department of Education and Training. 2011. “Implementation of religious education policy”http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/policies/religion/assets/pdf/implementation.pdf accessed 3 February 2011.Google Scholar
Palmer, Helen G., 1962a. “Religious Education in Secondary Schools: The Case for the Status Quo” Education, 5 September.Google Scholar
Palmer, Helen G., 1962b. “Religious education in secondary schools”, Education, 19 September.Google Scholar
Palmer, Helen G., 1963. “Letter to the Editor”, Education, 20 March.Google Scholar
R.E. Subcommittee, 1978. “Religious Observances in Government Schools: A paper Prepared by the R.E. Subcommittee”, memorandum, July 1978, container K283992, item 75/47957 (Kingswood, State Records).Google Scholar
Wetherell, Ernest, 1964. “Full Text of Syllabus” Sunday Telegraph, 16 August.Google Scholar
Wood, A.C., 1964. “New Syllabus: General Religious Teaching”, report to nsw Teachers Federation, 10 September, deposit N111/1677 (Canberra, Noel Butlin Labour Archives).Google Scholar
Wyndham, Harold, 1963. “Primary Curriculum Scripture”, memorandum, 21 June, container 8/2268 (Kingswood, State Records).Google Scholar
Wyndham, Harold, 1964. “General Religious Teaching - Public Instruction Act, section 7”, memorandum, 1 September, container 8/2269 (Kingswood, State Records).Google Scholar
Wyndham, Harold, 1966. “Australian Broadcasting Commission: Religious Broadcasts for Schools”, memorandum, 18 February, container 8/2269 (Kingswood, State Records).Google Scholar