Science and Religion in the classroom: narratives about conflict and independence in Argentine High School textbooks

In Argentina, the relationship between science and religion is not a topic of concern for the population, nor is it debated in the public sphere. However, recent studies have shown that religious scientists are stigmatized for their beliefs and that within some scientific institutions, there is an idea that science and religion are in conflict. This study proposes to analyze whether this notion extends to Secondary Education by exploring some didactic materials. This study examines the representations of the relationship between science and religion found in school texts. Biology and History textbooks and workbooks produced by both public institutions and private publishers for the first and second years of high school were analyzed, in accordance with the curriculum design of the City of Buenos Aires. A total of 45 materials were surveyed, exploring what information they reflect about the relationship between science and religion, the terms in which the connection between them is established, through which concepts, and in which topics of the study programs. Different approaches were found depending on the text and the theme from which the relationship is presented. There is no majority or unified stance. On the contrary, the approach varies from one manual to another, from conflict to independence and even complexity.