Culture, religion and curriculum: lessons from the 'three books' controversy in Surrey, BC

This article considers the spatial, cultural, and legal dimensions of the controversy surrounding the Surrey School Board's religiously motivated refusal to approve three books portraying families with same-sex parents. It examines the issue in terms of debates over the public/private distinction, and the notion of a 'culture war' between progressive and orthodox stakeholders. The polarized opinions advanced in such debates not only invoke and rely upon particular understandings of space, they also have ramifications for the organization of the public sphere, and services such as public education in particular. This article focuses on the three decisions handed down in the Surrey case, culminating in the Supreme Court of Canada's ruling that religious concerns have a place in public decision making, but not to the exclusion of other considerations. This decision signals that the religious opinions of some parents may shape the public school curriculum, and thus the instruction of all pupils. In this respect, it poses a serious challenge to liberal visions of secular public education, and to a secular public sphere more generally.     

CONSTRUCTION OF THE KHOJA ZAYNUDDIN MOSQUE: USE OF ANIMAL GLUE MODIFIED WITH URINE*

As part of an ongoing project at the World Heritage Site of Bukhara, we investigated the glue used in the construction of the Khoja Zaynuddin mosque. Analysis by a range of techniques confirmed that it consisted of a collagen‐based glue. However, the glue contained many non‐protein constituents. The presence of lipid material suggests that the glue was produced by a relatively unsophisticated process. More surprisingly, various marker compounds of urine were found. Study of the viscosity of a mixture of a modern collagen‐based glue and urea showed that the presence of urea at a concentration typical of human urine reduced the viscosity of the glue, thus improving its spreading characteristics and enabling its use at a lower temperature. Whilst the advantages of adding urea to glue were known to craftsmen in Europe and America in the 19th century, it would appear that the builders of Bukhara were aware of the technique, using less pure components, at a significantly earlier date.