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Culture, religion and curriculum: lessons from the ‘three books’ controversy in Surrey, BC
Author(s) -
COLLINS DAMIAN
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
the canadian geographer / le géographe canadien
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.35
H-Index - 46
eISSN - 1541-0064
pISSN - 0008-3658
DOI - 10.1111/j.1541-0064.2006.00145.x
Subject(s) - vision , curriculum , public sphere , supreme court , sociology , public education , religious education , secular education , political science , space (punctuation) , law , secularity , public administration , politics , linguistics , philosophy , anthropology
This article considers the spatial, cultural, and legal dimensions of the controversy surrounding the Surrey School Board's religiously motivated refusal to approve three books portraying families with same‐sex parents. It examines the issue in terms of debates over the public/private distinction, and the notion of a ‘culture war’ between progressive and orthodox stakeholders. The polarized opinions advanced in such debates not only invoke and rely upon particular understandings of space, they also have ramifications for the organization of the public sphere, and services such as public education in particular. This article focuses on the three decisions handed down in the Surrey case, culminating in the Supreme Court of Canada's ruling that religious concerns have a place in public decision making, but not to the exclusion of other considerations. This decision signals that the religious opinions of some parents may shape the public school curriculum, and thus the instruction of all pupils. In this respect, it poses a serious challenge to liberal visions of secular public education, and to a secular public sphere more generally.