Transcript Slide 1

PROFESSOR GARY D BOUMA
UNESCO CHAIR IN INTERRELIGIOUS AND INTERCULTURAL RELATIONS –
ASIA PACIFIC
RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY,
FREEDOM OF RELIGION
AND EDUCATION POLICY:
A Multi-faith Society Dilemma
Bouma, Gary, Des Cahill, Hass Delall and Athalia Zwartz 2011 Freedom of Religion and Belief in 21st Century.
AHRC
http://www.hreoc.gov.au/frb/report/index.html
Bouma, Gary 2011 Being Faithful In Diversity: Religions and Social Policy in Multi-Faith Societies. ATF
www.monash.edu.au
MULTI-FAITH SOCIETIES
• BI-CULTURAL / BI-FAITH
• HOW MULTI-FAITH
– DEMOGRAPHICALLY - COMMON
– CONSTITUTIONALLY – RARE
> MOST EUROPEAN STATES ARE XTN
– IN SELF-IDENTITY – RARER STILL
> A CONSEQUENCE OF DEMOGRAPHY
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RELIGIONS AND SOCIAL POLICY
AIMS
1. TO PROVIDE A FRAMEWORK FOR
ANALYSING RELIGION AND SOCIAL
POLICY – where diversity / pluralism
meet.
2. TO PRESENT THE FACTS OF
AUSTRALIAN RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY
AS AN EXAMPLE OF DIVERSITY
3. TO USE ISSUES RAISED FREEDOM OF
RELIGION AND BELIEF AND SOCIAL
POLICY AS EXAMPLE OF ‘PLURALISM’
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BASIC ARGUMENT
• NATIONAL RELIGIOUS IDENTITY
– INFLUENCES EDUCATIONAL POLICY
• IS AFFECTED BY CHANGES IN
RELIGIOUS PROFILE (DEMOGRAPHY)
– WHICH ALSO AFFECTS EDUCATION
POLICY
• RECENT INCREASES IN RELIGIOUS
DIVERSITY  DIFFICULTIES IN SOLVING
ISSUES IN EDUCATION POLICY
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HOW ARE RELIGIONS RELATED TO
SOCIAL POLICY? FOUR BASIC WAYS
1. As OBJECTS of policy
–
–
–
–
–
Limits to Religious diversity, registration,
which are permitted, regulated, ‘charities’
Civic presence permitted / not
Training into religious belief in state schools
Regulation of marriage, burial, food,
circumcision m & f
Usual rules applying to organisations
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RELIGIONS AND SOCIAL POLICY II
2. As INSTIGATORS of policy
•Religious ethics and values are sources of
images of the ideal society which followers
(may/must) seek to make real.
–
–
–
–
abortion, RU 486, Religious instruction
Family forms , limits to alcohol availability
1950s, 1960s anti-discrimination laws
Anti-slavery, child labour,
•Within group diversities now make this harder to
achieve
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RELIGIONS AND SOCIAL POLICY III
3. As CRITICS of policy
– E.g. gambling, anti-war, no-fault divorce
– Refugee policies, social justice
4. As IMPLEMENTERS of policy
– Faith based orgs – social services,
education, hospitals
– High Percentage of tax dollars
channelled through FBOs
> With what protections??
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AUSTRALIAN SOCIAL POLICY
CONTEXT – RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY
SOURCES OF DIVERSITY
• Migration – Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus
– Catholics - substantial growth since 1947
• Conversion – Pentecostals, Spiritualities
• Rise of NONES
• Note Australia has been multicultural for
over 40,000 years
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RELIGIOUS CHANGE IN AUSTRALIA
% in
1911
Anglican 38.4
Catholic 22.4
MCPRU 26.5
CHRIST’N 96.9
NONES
0.2
Other Rels 0.8
1947
39.0
20.7
22.1
88.0
0.3
0.5
1966
33.5
26.2
19.4
88.2
0.8
0.7
1991
23.9
27.4
12.9
74.1
12.9
2.6
2006
18.7
25.8
8.7
63.9
18.7
5.6
2011 2021
17.1 13
25.3 23
7.7 5
61.1 50
22.3 32
7.2 11
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AUSTRALIAN RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY III
IN 2011 – Smaller Groups
• More Buddhists (2.5) than Baptists (1.6)
• More Muslims (2.2) than Lutherans (1.2)
• More Hindus (1.2) than Jews (0.4)
• Sikhs (0.3) up from 0.1 in 2006
• 4 X Witches 8k (0.04) as Quakers 2k (0.1)
• Pagans 17k (0.08), 14k Baha’i (0.06)
• Atheists (59k; 0.27) up 88%,
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AUSTRALIAN RELIGIOUS IDENTITIES
• ‘No Religion’ #1 in 5 of 8 territories and
Capital cities
• In Sydney: RC > None > Anglican >
Islam> Buddhist > Uniting >
Presbyterian.
• In Melbourne: RC > None > Anglican
>Orthodox > Uniting > Buddhist >
Islam > Presbyterian > Hindu >
Pentecostal.
• In Adelaide: None > RC > Anglican >
Uniting > Orthodox
•
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CHANGE IN RELIGIOUS PROFILE 
NEW NATIONAL IDENTITY
THE DEMOGRAPHIC BASIS OF IDENTITY
• ONCE BRITISH AND CHRISTIAN
• THEN ‘SECULAR’ BUT CHRISTIAN
• NOW?
– Multi-faith
– Religiously plural INCLUDING NONES
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CONSEQUENCES OF INCREASED
RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY
• INCREASED INTER RELIGIOUS
INTERACTION - AT ALL LEVELS
• AWARENESS/ACCEPTANCE OF
DIVERSITY  PLURALITY
• RELIGIOUS REVITALISATION
> SALIENCE OF IDENTITY, SOCIAL POLICY
• CONSENSUS HARDER TO ACHIEVE
• FEAR AND ANGER AT LOSS OF
POWER, POSITION, INFLUENCE
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THE RELIGION / EDUCATION POLICY
CONTEXT
• THREE BASIC VIEWS:
– WHO ARE THE STUDENTS
– WHO ARE THE TEACHERS
– WHO ARE THE POLICY MAKERS
• EACH HAS A DIFFERENT
DEMOGRAPHIC
– Age/sex/migrant status
– Other dimensions later
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2011 Census age and sex distribution: recent
arrivals and Australian-born
http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/Lookup/2071.0main+features902012-2013
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SELECTED RELIGIONS - % LONGER-STANDING (20 yrs
+) AND RECENTLY ARRIVED MIGRANTS ABS 2011
http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/Lookup/2071.0main+features902012-2013
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IMPLICATIONS FOR EDUCATION POLICY
• POLICY MAKERS DISPROPORTIATELY
AUS-BORN
• PUPILS 50/50 AUS/ NOT AUS BORN
– MULTIPLE LANGUAGES/CULTURES
– GREATER RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY
• THE 24-39 GROUP HUGELY RECENT
– PARENTS
• Each religious group has some migrants
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RELIGION BY AGE 2011 CENSUS
• AGE %
0-24
25-44
45-64
64+
• Anglican
24.4
22.9
30.8
21.9
• Catholic
33.9
26.7
25.3
14.1
• U/P/R
21.2
19.9
33.1
25.8
• Buddhist
29.6
36.1
27.6
6.7
• Muslim
46.5
35.3
14.9
3.4
• No Religion
39.8
32.8
21.0
6.4
• NATIONAL
32.6
28.0
25.4
14.0
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AGE BY RELIGION
AGE
Anglican
Catholic
Uniting
Buddhist
Muslim
Hindu
Jew
None
5-24
13.3%
26.8%
3.8%
2.4%
3.0%
1.2%
0.4%
26.2%
25-34 55-64
11.3% 22.3%
22.5% 24.3%
3.0%
6.8%
3.3%
2.4%
3.3%
1.0%
3.2%
0.6%
0.4%
0.6%
28.2% 16.8%
85+
29.3%
22.5%
10.2%
0.8%
0.2%
0.1%
1.0%
7.6%
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SCHOOLING IN AUSTRALIA
66% go to gov; 34% to non-gov schools
•Catholics 20%; other religious 14%
– Baptist, Anglican, Lutheran, Methodist,
Presbyterian and Seventh-day Adventist,
non-denom, Muslim, Jewish, and others.
•Highest non-gov in OECD
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IMPLICATIONS FOR EDUCATION POLICY
• CATHOLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM SOLID
• ANGLICAN / BRITISH PROTS
– LOW BIRTH RATE/ LOW RETENTION
FEW KIDS, But Elite Schools
• MUSLIM SCHOOLS GROWING (32 in
2011)
– +DEMAND SENSITIVE STATE SCHOOLS
• HINDUS NOW SEEKING SCHOOLS
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MORE IMPLICATIONS
• BUDDHISTS ???
• RISE OF NO RELIGION  DEMAND
FREEDOM FROM RELIGION
• MORE PRESURE AGAINST SCHOOL
CHAPLAINCY / EXISTING SRI pgms
• RISE IN PENTECOSTAL / INDEPENDENT
EVANGELICAL GROUPS – MORE
SEPARATE SCHOOLS FOR THEM (152 in
2011)
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RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY AND ED POLICY I
• E.g General Religious and Ethics Ed vs
Special Religious Instruction
–
–
–
–
Current curriculum religion blind
Most teachers negative about religion
‘No Religion’ parents protesting
‘religious’ parents want faith friendly
environment
• Rising issues with Science
– Evolution, sexuality,
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RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY AND EDUCATION
POLICY II
ISSUES
• Provision of prayer rooms, times
• Dietary observance in cafeteria
• Uniform regulations
– Turbans, head scarves,
• Gender mix in classes / sport
• Feasts and Festivals
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PROBLEM = WHO DECIDES, HOW AND
ON WHAT CRITERIA?
•
The reality of diversity really bites here!!!
–
–
•
Use ‘Universal Values’, NO – just as coercive as
religious bases
‘Christian’ values – why, which, whose?
The need for vital civil society
–
–
–
To off-set state control of everything
To enable voices to be heard and decisions
reached
To counter market domination, majoritarianism
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PERSISTENT ISSUES
• TO WHOM ARE RELIGIOUS GROUPS
ACCOUNTABLE?
• WHAT ARE THE LIMITS TO FREEDOM
OF RELIGION AND BELIEF?
• HOW TO MODERATE THE IMPACT OF
STRONGLY HELD BELIEFS OF SOME
ON THOSE WHO DO NOT HOLD THEM?
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