Abstract:
The focus of this article is on international knowledge transfer in religious education as it has
been proposed by a recent Manifesto in Europe. Readers are introduced to this Manifesto
which also is the starting point of the article. The example of Germany and South Africa is
used as a test case for the understanding of international knowledge transfer. The author
analyses this understanding on the background of general considerations, among others,
concerning unilateral and bilateral forms of transfer, but also the meaning of empirical research
in this context before he discusses three examples for German religious education learning
from South Africa: human dignity, justice and reconciliation. In the final section of this article,
the results of these discussions are connected with the question of what they imply for the
understanding of international knowledge transfer in religious education. The author argues
for a complex approach which entails a careful balance between the idea of sharing knowledge
and doing justice to the contextual nature of research results in the field of religious education.
Description:
Prof. Dr Friedrich Schweitzer
is participating in the
research project ‘Gender
Studies and Practical
Theology Theory Formation’,
directed by Prof. Dr Yolanda
Dreyer, Department of
Practical Theology, Faculty
of Theology, University of
Pretoria.
