Cultural and religious differences are an increasingly urgent predicament in Western societies. Inter-religious learning in school is a relatively new focus of research in the field of religious education in Germany. But empirical research in this area is not developed enough to assist public education. One of the key question is the encounter with the strange and foreign religion and the styles that children, adolescents and adults (may) use in this encounter. Instead of ignoring difference, the strange can have a creative impact. This is what the schema of ‘xenosophia’ (the wisdom in the encounter with the strange) could capture. The concept of 'xenosophia' has been developed with reference to the phiosopher B. Waldenfels (1990, 1997a, 1997b, 1999) and Nakamura (2000).

Based upon the model of religous styles, we can distinguish negotiation styles in inter-religious encounter (This link leads to the Table in which I have arranged the inter-religious negotiation styles, the styles of dealing with strangeness and with familiarity in relation to the religious styles.) Different styles of dealing with strangeness and with familiarity can be associated with styles of relating to and negotiating with other religious orientations. Thereby, corresponding to the dialogical style, the schema of xenosophia is included - indicating the most adequate style of inter-religious negotiation and the most adequate way of understanding the strange.

This perspective has been included in several articles:

• 2006. "Strangeness in Inter-Religious Classroom Communication: Research on the 'Gift-to-the-Child' Material", in: Bates, Dennis, Durka, Gloria & Schweitzer, Friedrich (Eds.): Religion, Reconciliation and Inclusion in a Pluralistic World. Essays in Religious Education and Practical Theology in Honour of John M. Hull;
• 2005. "Wie finden interreligiöse Lernprozesse statt bei Kindern, Jugendlichen und Erwachsenen?", in: Schreiner, Peter, Elsenbast, Volker & Sieg, Ursula (Eds.): Handbuch Interreligiöses Lernen, Gütersloh: Gütersloher Verlagshaus;
• 2005. "Inter-Religious Negotiations: A New Developmental Perspective." (Paper presented at the International Symposium of Values and Value Education in Istanbul, Nov 27, 2004; to be published in English and in Turkish in a volume of contributions to the International Symposium of Values and Education).
• 2001. "Inter-Religious Negotiations: Case Studies on Students' Perception of and Dealing with Religious Diversity" (in: Heimbrock, Hans-Günter, Scheilke, Christoph Th. & Schreiner, Peter, Eds.: Towards Religious Competence. Diversity as a Challenge for Education in Europe, Münster: Comenius-Institut, 129-149);

The Religious Schema Scale (RSS) has a clear focus on inter-religious attitudes. One of three schemata in this scale is explicitly labelled xenosophia. It consists of five items:“We can learn from each other what ultimate truth each religion contains”; “We need to look beyond the denominational and religious differences to find the ultimate reality”; “When I make a decision, I am open to contradicting proposals from diverse sources and philosophical standpoints”; “Religious stories and representations from any religion unite me with the ultimate universe”; “The truth I see in other world views leads me to re-examine my current views”. Together with the two other contrasting schemata truth of texts and teachings (ttt) and fairness, tolerance and rational choice (ftr),the RSS is supposed to help us investigate inter-religious attitudes.

Streib, Hood & Klein presents the Scale in full length and also the results of confirmatory factor analysis, of correlation analysis with other scales and of the regression analysis which indicates discriminant validity of the RSS. The RSS has been included in a major sampel in Turkey. The RRS has also been included in our online-questionnaire "Youth & Religion". Also further research such as the spirituality project or the study on mediation in schools include this new instrument.

In two empirical (pilot) projects, we have investigated how primary school children relate to the religious orientation of peers who belong to a different religion:

• In 1999, several pairs of children of different religious background are video-taped in an interview about what they know about their own and the other child's religion. One of these documents is analyzed and commented in the article: "Inter-Religious Negotiations: Case Studies on Students' Perception of and Dealing with Religious Diversity".
• Further, we have engaged in classroom research under the heading "Strangeness as a Factor in Processes of Inter-Religious Perception, Communication, and Learning in Primary School Pupils". We have video-taped several lessons in which the "Gift-to-the-Child Material" has been used. This research documents not only the classroom communication, but has included also stimulated-recall interviews with several children to document their thoughts and feeling during the lesson in more detail. Interpretations of three such lessons are published in the article: "Strangeness in Inter-Religious Classroom Communication: Research on the 'Gift-to-the-Child' Material".

Waldenfels, B (1990). Der Stachel des Fremden, Frankfurt/M.: Suhrkamp.

Waldenfels, B (1997a). Phänomenologie des Eigenen und des Fremden, in: Münkler, H (Ed.): Furcht und Faszination.Facetten der Fremdheit, Berlin: Akad.-Verlag, 65-83.

Waldenfels, B (1997b). Topographie des Fremden, Frankfurt/M.: Suhrkamp.

Waldenfels, B (1999). Der Anspruch des Fremden, in: Breuninger, R (Ed.): Andersheit - Fremdheit - Toleranz, Ulm: Humboldt-Studienzentrum, 31-51.

Nakamura, Y (2000). Xenosophie, Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft.

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• last Update: 08.05.2012 by Linda Groß   |   
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    Inter- Religious Learning and the Development of Xenosophia

• Research Concept
• Research Projects
• Team
• Cooperation Partners

• Deconversion und Fundamentalist Biographies
• Religious Styles and Schemata / Faith Development
• Inter- Religious Learning and the Development of Xenosophia
• Religious Socialisation of Turkish- Islamic Immigrants
• Children's Religious Drawings
• Adolescents and Religion
• Mediation and Conflict Management
• Spirituality and new Forms of Religion