Key research themes
1. How have state policies and political transformations shaped the structure and content of religious education in Turkey?
This research theme investigates the evolving role of the Turkish state in regulating religious education, particularly focusing on policy changes from the early Republic era through to contemporary AKP governance. It examines how legal frameworks, institutional reforms, and political agendas have influenced religious curricula, school types (such as Imam Hatip schools), and the secular-religious balance within education. This theme is critical for understanding the intersection of religion, education, and state control in a secular yet predominantly Muslim country undergoing democratization and political Islamization.
2. What are the dynamics and challenges of religious pluralism and minority rights within the framework of religious education in Turkey?
This theme explores how Turkey's religious education system negotiates diversity amid a society marked by Sunni Muslim predominance, secularist legacy, and minority religions such as Alevis and Syriacs. It focuses on grassroots mobilizations, legal challenges, and policy debates related to religious freedom, minority representation, and pluralistic curricula, including the role of international institutions like the ECtHR. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for assessing religious education's inclusiveness and the accommodation of different faith traditions within Turkey's complex socio-political landscape.
3. How do pedagogical practices and cognitive developmental theories influence implementations of religious education in Turkey?
This theme focuses on the educational methodologies, cognitive developmental frameworks, and pedagogical approaches shaping religious education content and delivery in Turkey. It examines how theoretical insights, such as Piaget's cognitive development model, inform religious education curriculum design and teaching practices, including moral reasoning and conceptual development. Additionally, it investigates community-based pedagogical models, like those in Gülen movement, emphasizing the role of exemplariness and emulation in religious socialization. Understanding these dimensions provides insight into the intersection of psychology, pedagogy, and religious education.