Abstract

In the context of secularisation, globalisation and pluralisation, 'hermeneutics' emerged over the last decades as a relevant discipline to address the ever widening gap and the lack of understanding between religious traditions and contemporary society and culture. 'Hermeneutics' is a challenging and complex concept. Traditionally it is understood as the theory/art of interpreting texts in reference to their original and present contexts. But what does it stand for in recent religious education theories? What are the questions hermeneutics is expected to address in the area of religious education today? Taking into account recent developments in philosophical, theological, linguistic, and anthropological disciplines, religious educationalists show in this volume the need to broaden the meaning of hermeneutics and to highlight its importance in the educational realm. In more then 20 contributions, internationally recognised scholars carefully diagnose the present situation and contribute to a new understanding of religious education based on hermeneutics as a new paradigm.