Our human dignity can be taken from us in unjust relationships, which makes resistance and search for dignity necessary. This search can take place in different ways: in this book, through academic studies in theology, ethics and education. Human dignity relates to human rights, which is also explored here, and perspectives from gender and postcolonial theory inform the studies. The reflection over human dignity ends in a discussion of education, making the book a resource in addressing contemporary value issues in education.

The nature of education changes with society. Today’s shifting populations, as well as developments in gender relations, have raised issues of values, human rights and the role of religion in education which scholars from around the world discuss in this book.

The nature of education changes with society. Today’s shifting populations, as well as developments in gender relations, have raised issues of values, human rights and the role of religion in education which scholars from around the world discuss in this book.

The nature of education changes with society. Today’s shifting populations, as well as developments in gender relations, have raised issues of values, human rights and the role of religion in education which scholars from around the world discuss in this book.

People form attachments to their home, their neighbourhood and environment, to the region and nation to which they belong. They express feelings about space and place, especially so in ‘globalized times’. In religious studies, in theology, and in education, there is a growing interest in spatial theories either as constructed within national borders, or within international and transnational spaces. The “spatial turn” has become an acknowledged term in interdisciplinary discourses. Although every practice of religious education is situated and contextually dependent, religious education (RE) research until now has not systematically paid attention to this fundamental insight. This volume is devoted specifically to clarifying the close relationship between RE practice and spatial and situational conditions.

There is an increasing recognition today that young people need to have knowledge about religions and world views in order to live and work in diverse societies. What kind of ‘maps’ are they provided with through religious, values and ethics education? Does education address the challenging existential questions that children and adolescents ask about life and the world? This volume addresses different aspects of how existential questions have been dealt with in educational research. It especially draws attention to the Swedish research tradition of focusing on life questions and the interpretation of life in education, but with contemporary international research added.