This book has been written for teachers, teacher trainers and their students, and others working with children and young people. It provides a valuable resource for those engaged in religious studies and South Asian studies, comprising a rich library of data relevant to current debates in these fields. Drawing on field studies of children of South Asian and other backgrounds in Britain, Nesbitt argues the value to schools of teachers adopting an ethnographic approach in intercultural education. Examples from primary, secondary and higher education demonstrate the urgent need for teachers and others to be better informed of cultural diversity and to understand the interconnections between ethnographic studies, pastoral care, the curriculum, and international events. "Intercultural Education" examines a wide variety of issues, including spirituality, identity formation, the ways in which beliefs' and practices' are represented, stereotyping communities, being a Christian at school, and the role of caste. The book contains Practical Guidelines for teachers, as well as a Glossary, covering pastoral care, racism, liaison with parents, recognising the diversity of language, etc.
Contents: Acknowledgements; A Note on Transliteration; Introduction: Cultural Diversity and Intercultural Education; Birthdays -- A Spectrum of Difference; Young Hindus and Vegetarianism; The Diversity of Experience within a Faith Tradition; Festivals -- Schools' Involvement in Tradition'; Belief and Practice -- God and Holy Water; Tradition and Choice -- What Young Hindus Believe; Caste, Hindus and Sikhs; British, Asian and Hindu -- Multiple Identities; Spirituality and Religious Experience; Ethnography as Reflective Practice; Appendix: Practical Guidelines for Teachers -- Cultural Diversity and the School; Glossary; Bibliography; Index.
