ERIC Number: EJ948450
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0141-6200
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Religious Education and the Feminisation of Witchcraft: A Study of Three Secondary Schools in Kumasi, Ghana
Thomas, Paul
British Journal of Religious Education, v34 n1 p67-86 2012
This study, conducted during the summer of 2008 in Kumasi, Ghana analysed the role of religious and moral education (RME) in ameliorating the witchcraft discourse in three Ghanaian junior secondary schools. Although the syllabus acknowledges the pernicious effects of witchcraft allegations, it adopts a "Thou shalt not" approach that fails to adequately grapple with the challenge. Through the use of semi-structured interviews, classroom observations and a questionnaire, pupils' attitudes towards witchcraft were analysed. The study reveals deep-seated beliefs to the effect that women--particularly elderly females--engage in witchcraft for devious purposes. Employing the theoretical framework of Foucault's knowledge--power symbiotic nexus, I explore the misogynous nature of the witchcraft discourse as evidenced through these responses. It is argued that RME can benefit from attending more closely to the subtle ways in which the "dense web" of knowledge--power is internalised and perpetuated by pupils. (Contains 1 table.)
Descriptors: Ethical Instruction, Secondary Schools, Student Attitudes, Interviews, Foreign Countries, Religious Education, Role of Education, Beliefs, Controversial Issues (Course Content), Classroom Observation Techniques, Questionnaires, Traditionalism, Social Theories, Social Attitudes, Gender Issues, Socioeconomic Influences, Social Control
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Ghana
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A