ABSTRACT
This part introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters. The part discusses the nature of plural societies, with particular reference to the nation state and nationality, ethnicity and culture. It reviews changing trends in religious, moral and civic education since the 1950s, as well as debates about plurality and pluralism, modernism and post-modernism. The part discusses issues in the relationship between religious education, multicultural education, citizenship education and values education. It focuses on religious education in relation to plurality. Exploring plurality involves examining the relationship between individuals' views about personal identity and broader issues of social identity and plurality. This integration of the personal and the social sees religious education as incorporating new information into existential and social discussions. Religious education's concerns existential and social questions, plus knowledge about religious traditions, distinguish it from other fields, although the boundaries are open to debate.
