Religious education in Austria is denominationally based and is organised jointly by legally recognised churches and religious communities and the state. Since 1949, this model has combined a foundation in religious communities with high social relevance, but it is increasingly under pressure to change: religious pluralisation coupled with declining religious socialisation, rising numbers of non-denominational pupils, and the associated organisational challenges in everyday school life, not to mention a decline in the number of religious education teachers, are creating growing tensions. Questions and challenges regarding the current conception of religious education in schools also arise at a conceptual level. At the same time, cooperative teaching formats are gaining in importance, without their relationship to denominational religious education having been sufficiently clarified.

Against this backdrop, questions regarding future approaches to religious education in Austria are arising with undeniable urgency. For this, in turn, a nuanced assessment of the current situation is an indispensable prerequisite. This special issue of OERF is therefore dedicated to describing and assessing the current legal, organisational, conceptual and didactic foundations of denominational religious education in Austria, and aims to bring together as diverse a range of perspectives as possible. Of particular interest are analyses of the significance of religious education in a pluralistic society, of the current denominational model and its further development, of forms of interdenominational and interreligious cooperation, and of professionalisation processes for religious education teachers in initial, continuing and further training. Comparative perspectives that situate the Austrian context within international discourses are also welcome.

Possible research questions include:

• How can the current status quo of religious education in Austria be described, and what key challenges does this pose for its future development?
• How can religious education be structured in the context of declining religious practice and limited religious literacy (among both pupils and teachers)?
• How is ‘denominationality’ understood in religious education in Austrian schools, and what consequences does this have for forms of interdenominational and interreligious cooperation?
• What are the current requirements for the professionalisation of religious education teachers in initial, continuing and further training?
• What significance do formal employment requirements (e. g. missio canonica, vocatio) still hold today, and how is the professional field changing due to alternative routes into the profession (e. g. career changers, part-time study programmes)?
• What is the situation for theology and teacher training students with regard to the subject of religion, particularly in the context of declining student numbers?
• How is the organisation of religious education perceived and structured from the perspective of school management and subject supervision?
• How are ‘religious practices’ handled in school settings, and what significance do they hold in school life?
• What specific aspects are evident in religious education at vocational schools and so-called ‘special types’ of school (e. g. intermediate and upper secondary vocational schools, vocational schools, and training colleges for early years education)?
• To what extent should religious education be understood as a subject that varies regionally, by age group and by school type?
• Which religious and state church law frameworks (still) shape denominational religious education in Austria, and how do these affect its specific implementation?
• What is the relationship between religious education and catechesis, particularly in the tension between religious education and religious practice?
• How can official documents from the churches or religious communities be situated within the discourse on religious education and critically examined (e. g. the position paper of the Austrian Catholic Conference of School Heads)?
• What is the relationship between religious education and ethics education five years after the introduction of ethics as a compulsory subject in upper secondary education?
• How is religious education discussed and evaluated in the context of current debates on education policy?
• What subjective theories regarding religious education have been put forward by religious education teachers and pupils to date, and what research gaps exist in this context?
• What significance do religious education teachers’ professional experiences have for the design of religious education?
• What perspectives do parents and other school and societal stakeholders bring to the discussion on denominational religious education?
• To what extent does religious education contribute to the stabilisation or reinforcement of power-based majority and minority constellations in the school context?

We cordially invite you to write contributions on this topic and submit them for the issue of the OERF, which will be published in autumn 2027.

We kindly ask you to send announcements of your contribution (abstracts) related to the topic of the issue, as well as texts that go beyond the topic (to be published under “further academic contributions”), to the following email address: oerf.redaktion@uni-graz.at. After an initial formal and content review, you will receive feedback from us. If you receive positive feedback and your contribution has been completed, please upload it independently to our website to initiate the peer-review process: http://oerf-journal.eu/.

We also ask you to inform us of publications that have recently appeared and should be reviewed, as well as to submit short descriptions of outstanding academic qualification works in religious education at various institutions (Master’s or diploma theses, etc.).

The OERF publishes exclusively original contributions. The main contributions undergo a peer-review process. Details on the submission procedure and all relevant formal requirements can be found on our homepage: http://oerf-journal.eu/

We kindly request that you strictly adhere to the manuscript guidelines!

(Responsible for the content of this issue)

Prof. Dr. Martin Rothgangel, University of Vienna

Mag. Harald Trummer, University of Graz

Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Weirer, University of Graz

(Schedule)

Proposals for contributions should be submitted by: 29 January 2027

Deadline for submission of all contributions for the peer-review process: 19 March 2027

Deadline for reviews and qualification papers: 28 May 2027

Publication date: Autumn 2027