Identitetsbegreppet i religionsundervisning vid svensk gymnasieskola Analys av identitetsteorier
In this study I try to answer the question what to consider when teaching about identity andreligious identity in Religious Studies at Upper Secondary Schools in Sweden. This inquiry isbased on the fact that the latest Program manuals for upper secondary school, GY11, instructsthe teachers to talk about identity and religion, while in the Curriculum for upper secondaryscool, Lpf 94, as well as the latest curriculum, SKOLFS 2011, the idea of identity seemslinked with ethnicity.With this in mind I want to clarify what might be meant with the concept of identity. Byreferring to several different identity theories I propose to illustrate the complexity of theconcept. I study gender, queer and postcolonial theory as well as different aspects of classstructure and commodification of identity, all through the perspective of intersectionality.Intersectionality is not a theory as such but a method of studying various perspectives of anissue. It is an analytical praxis of using several angles of investigation and explanationtogether, all phrased with the background of the question of power. That means that the use ofone type of analysis does not rule out another theoretical angle. Intersectionality wants tomake everyday use of power structure visible.In the specific context of teaching I suggest to let that complexity be known also to thestudents, to make them aware of the reading-between-the-lines that postmodern theoriesprovide with the purpose of deconstructing preconceived notions. As Religious Studies alsoincludes the study of foreign cultures it might be a topic where the other is easily essentialisedtherefore I think it is important that teachers can investigate also their own part in upholdingcurrent structures.