The newly published volume “Teaching and Learning about Religious Diversity in the Past and Present: Beyond Stereotypes,” edited by Karel van Nieuwenhuyse, John Maiden, and Stefanie Sinclair, marks the conclusion of the European collaborative project “Religious Toleration and Peace” (RETOPEA), in which the IEG participated as a cooperation partner. The edited volume contains contributions from numerous members of the RETOPEA project (2018–2022), including texts from the historical module developed at the IEG by Christophe Schellekens, Naum Trajanovski, and Henning P. Jürgens.
The authors examine examples of how societies and individuals have dealt with the concepts of religious diversity, tolerance, and peacebuilding in politics and law, and how these examples can inform teachers and learners in both formal and informal educational settings today.
The chapters present and analyze nine key documents: the Capitulations of Granada (1492), the Warsaw Confederation (1573), the Peace of Westphalia (1648), the Royal Charter of Rhode Island (1663), the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen (1789), the European Convention on Human Rights (1950), the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement (1998), the Ohrid Framework Agreement (2001), and the Mardin Declaration (2010). In addition to explaining how each document addresses tolerance and peace, the authors provide “snapshots” — short visual and textual excerpts referring to the document in question. These aim to challenge readers to reflect on the historical document and its possible relevance for the present. The authors view the past as a source of inspiration for learning in both formal and informal educational contexts, such as classrooms, museums, and youth work. The book will be of interest to teachers and scholars in the fields of history, citizenship, philosophy, ethics, and religious education in schools and beyond.
