HEGEMONY OF RELIGIOUS VALUES IN TEACHER–STUDENT INTERACTIONS: A QUALITATIVE STUDY IN CLASS VIII AT GOVERNMENT SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL, JAIPUR, INDIA

Abstract

This study aims to explore the hegemony of religious values in teacher–student interactions at a Government Senior Secondary School in Jaipur, India, using a qualitative approach. Drawing on Antonio Gramsci’s theory of hegemony and Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of cultural capital, the study examines how teachers, as agents of hegemony, transmit religious values to students and how these values are internalised in students’ daily lives. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with teachers and students, classroom observations, and analysis of curriculum and religious education materials. The findings indicate that religious education in the school not only conveys religious teachings explicitly through the formal curriculum but also through a hidden curriculum that transmits dominant religious ideologies. Teachers play a central role in reinforcing these values, while students tend to accept and normalise them with limited critical questioning. This study concludes that religious education operates not only as a vehicle for individual moral or spiritual development but also as a mechanism of social reproduction and ideological continuity that maintains prevailing social structures. The findings suggest the need for a more inclusive and critically reflective religious education curriculum that accommodates India’s religious diversity and fosters greater tolerance, critical thinking, and dialogue among students.