Critical Potentials of Adressing Classism in Theology and Religious Education

Abstract

Given the existing discourse on educational justice and sensitivity to poverty in religious education, the question arises as to what the introduction of the term classism brings to the table. In three areas, it is demonstrated that critique and research on classism indeed develop critical potential. This concerns (1.) the ability to identify, make visible, and critique classist practices and ways of thinking, as well as a better theoretical connectivity to discourses on other forms of discrimination. Furthermore (2.), the perspective of classism highlights the need for a stronger engagement with the power of education („Macht der Bildung“, Ricken) and thus sharpens the focus on issues related to the emphasis on ‚Bildung‘ in religious education. Finally (3.), the classist structure of the academic field itself becomes the subject of critique.