Powerful Knowledge in Religious Education? Perspectives in Conversation with Michael Young and Paulo Freire

Abstract

This chapter discusses the possible role of the concept of powerful knowledge in religious education. For this purpose it makes use of three different lenses—education as Bildung, competences and Freire’s liberationist approach to education. It shows that the concept of powerful knowledge clearly resonates with all of these perspectives, while in turn these perspectives can substantially add to the understanding of powerful knowledge and its potential role in RE. Most of all, the idea of powerful knowledge should be closely connected to pupil-oriented forms of teaching. At the same time, the discussion indicates that the role of knowledge in religious education has long been neglected and that the concept of powerful knowledge could be of help in addressing this question.