Ways of Knowing: Hermeneutics – part 1

What is Hermeneutics?

We all have our niche topics. Hermeneutics appears to be mine. Likely, this comes from a joint-honours degree in English and Theology and a teaching career spent leading English and RE at primary level. Hermeneutics is the art or skill of interpretation. Hermeneutics involves texts but also a consideration of the positionality of the reader alongside the historical-social context of the text. This could encompass the author, the recipient, the reasons for writing, or all three. The aim is to arrive at an understanding of what texts may be saying.

Hermeneutics sits squarely in the Worldviews approach as we encounter the worldviews of authors from the past through their work. It also draws upon the disciplines of both theology and history. So, in Religion and Worldviews terms, you could say it’s an ‘all the feels’ approach.

When I throw the word ‘hermeneutics’ into the CPD I lead for local RE teachers and subject leaders, I am often met with ‘herma-what?’ in response. It’s a big, fancy word from the Greek hermēneuein, meaning ‘interpret’. The word also alludes to Hermes, the cunning messenger to the gods, who often delivered messages with his own slant to manipulate interpretation. It really just means learning how to interpret and being aware that different interpretations are part of studying religious texts.  As we increasingly talk in Religion and Worldviews circles about how important it is for pupils to understand diversity and the impact your worldview has on your thinking and expression, I fully expect hermeneutics to become something all teachers will see the merit of exploring with their pupils.

Hermeneutics can be applied to art as well as text. Pupils can explore sacred art and encounter worldviews from other eras, cultures and geographical locations as they learn to interpret the beautiful things associated with diverse religious traditions. They will learn to ask themselves what an artist is trying to show them and why. In comparing different examples of religious art intended to capture the same elements of scripture, they will see for themselves how differently the same text can be interpreted by an artist and understood by a viewer.

I’d love to see hermeneutics take its place as part of disciplinary study of religion and world views in a well-thought-out curriculum. After all, it’s a classic example of what Ofsted’s Dr Richard Kueh termed ‘ways of knowing’ and it is another key way of developing critical thinking in pupils, turning them into ‘responsible readers’ and thoughtful viewers of sacred images. Through hermeneutics, pupils are confronted with their own personal knowledge that they bring to every learning experience. It naturally requires consideration of positionality and encourages the skills of reflexivity and reflectivity.

In my next blog post I will aim to share some specific examples of hermeneutics in the primary and secondary classroom, but in the meantime you may want to check out Bowie et al’s Teachers and Texts.

The Visual Commentary of Scripture is also a great starting point for finding sacred art interpreting passages of scripture.