Privat, betent og uoverkommelig? om arbeid med religion i to norske barnehager

Abstract

Despite religion having a clear place in the Norwegian Framework Plan for Kindergartens, addressing religion in practice often appears to be challenging. This article examines how kindergarten staff understand and approach religion, and which discourses contribute to shaping this practice. The study is based on conversations conducted at the outset of an action research project in two kindergartens. The analysis identifies three categories: religion as private, religion as a sensitive topic, and limited self-efficacy when working with religion. These categories are used to discuss staff approaches to religion. The study is theoretically grounded in Foucault’s concepts of power and discourse and, through an abductive approach, develops the privatization of religion and religion as a challenge as analytical perspectives, understood as discourses in a Foucauldian sense.