ERIC Number: EJ1408691
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0159-6306
EISSN: EISSN-1469-3739
Bill 21 as an Exemplar of the Fragility of Tolerance
Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, v45 n1 p58-69 2024
In June 2019, Québec passed Bill 21, entitled: 'An Act respecting the laicity of the State'. This bill bans public servants from wearing religious symbols in the workplace. Among the affected employees are judges, teachers, and government officers. This paper considers the ethical ramifications of Bill 21 on education. Particularly, this paper examines some prime arguments for and against abridging religious rights for teachers and public servants. Then, the paper explicates the immanent tension between the desire to advance tolerance and the exercise of intolerant practices against minorities. In this sense, the case of Bill 21 exemplifies the fragility of tolerance. Drawing from Dewey's pragmatic understanding and agonistic models of democracy, the concluding section of this paper argues for the development of a more inclusive understanding of tolerance that will offer students educational experience and encourage them to constantly consider their predispositions and biases towards the other.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Laws, Religious Discrimination, Work Environment, Dress Codes, Personnel Policy, Religious Factors, Clothing, Social Attitudes, Social Bias, Social Discrimination, Minority Groups, Educational Environment, Conflict
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A