Reconceptualising the interface of religion and school violence towards construction of sustainable learning ecologies in South Africa

Abstract

In this paper, we respond to the call by Ndlovu-Gatsheni (2013:10) to unmask, resist and destroy violence in the school context. Unmasking is indispensable, since violence produces a world order that can be unremitting and characterised by deceit, hypocrisy and lies. To achieve this release from a violent order, we advocate for the reconceptualisation of religion, so that school violence can be contested from a hybridised or multi-religious perspective to complement existing narratives to curtail school violence. The paper is grounded in critical emancipation research, of which the prime purpose is to challenge exclusion and social injustice, which often result in school violence. We conclude by arguing that school violence frustrates efforts to construct sustainable learning ecologies, and school violence must be challenged through religion-based discourses oriented to social justice.