ABSTRACT
The combination of religion and ethnicity can serve as a basis for, inter alia, political mobilisation, social protest or campaigning activity. The idea of examining the ethno-religious dimension of the politics of education at the city level arises from current debates about the changing character of politics in societies marked by ethnic diversity and conflict. Despite the racialisation of city politics there has been little debate about the issue of equal treatment on religious grounds and about appropriate responses to religious diversity. From a different angle, the concepts of equal opportunities, racial equality and religious pluralism embedded in Local Authority policies may set boundaries for responding to ethno-religious demands and preferences, with potential tensions between meeting the goal of equal treatment in service delivery and respecting the religious interests of diverse groups. The chapter focuses on some of the obstacles which may face ethno-religious groups trying to elicit a response from local authorities to their religious preferences over school education.
