[en] This contribution addresses the legal and pedagogical aspects of religious confession in Swiss public schools. More precisely, it examines how controversies over legal and pedagogical issues in Switzerland have changed over time. At the beginning of the 19th century Switzerland saw itself as a union of individual confessional states (cantons); a small number of non-denominational villages neighbored the otherwise Catholic and Evangelical-Reform territories. Consequently, confessional organization of individual cantons was based on the principle that national well-being was linked to the unity of a religious confession and public morality was dependent upon an absolute concept of truth to which the people were bound. In this scenario public schools naturally played an important role: a religiously- and morally-directed education was designed to prepare individuals to live not only as Christians and moral human beings, but also as citizens. This self-image as a confessional state, as well as the concept of public education with which it was connected, were called into serious question in the 19th century. Subsequent controversies yielded a legal understanding of the state and public institutions, amongst which were those requiring a "neutral" organization. This paper also puts forward that it is historically demonstrable that the declared neutrality of state institutions regarding the question of faith was not simply an idea imposed by a particular political group. We furthermore argue that the constitutional principle of neutrality more accurately represents a sort of stalemate rather than the result of public discussions. The few participants of the discussions which did take place relied each on his own conception of truth and thereafter came to regret their blindness. The second thesis of this paper is therefore that the de-confessionalization of Swiss public schools not only took place, but also that public education and its confessional character (i.e., its specifically religious organization and basic underlying pedagogical concepts) were themselves objects of fierce controversies which accelerated this process of state institution de-confessionalization.

[fr] Cet article s'intéresse à la dimension juridique de l'enseignement confessionnel dans les écoles publiques suisses et, plus précisément, à l'évolution de la réflexion autour de la formation et de la pédagogie. Au début du XIXe siècle, la Suisse se présente comme une confédération d'États confessionnels (cantons). À côté des régions catholiques et protestantes, il existe un petit nombre de lieux paritaires. L'orientation confessionnelle des cantons s'explique par le lien étroit supposé exister entre la prospérité de l'État et l'unité confessionnelle et par le caractère absolu et contraignant de la vérité qui sert de fondement à la morale publique. Dans ce contexte, les écoles publiques occupent une place importante : elles préparent l'individu non seulement en tant que chrétien moralement irréprochable, mais aussi en tant que citoyen. Au XIXe siècle, cette approche est remise en question, ce qui a des répercussions sur la conception de l'éducation publique : l'approche confessionnelle cède la place à un dispositif juridique défenseur de la " neutralité " de l'État et des institutions publiques. Deux thèses sont ici défendues. Historiquement, la neutralité déclarée des institutions étatiques face aux questions de croyance n'est pas simplement l'idée d'un groupe politique précis qui finit par s'imposer. De fait, les divers participants qui défendent leur conception propre de la vérité doivent renoncer au caractère obligatoire de celle-ci face au blocage que constitue pour eux le principe même du droit constitutionnel de la neutralité. Par ailleurs, le caractère confessionnel des écoles publiques, l'orientation idéologique et les conceptions pédagogiques sur lesquelles se fonde l'éducation publique, sont elles-mêmes l'objet de violentes controverses qui font avancer ce processus de déconfessionalisation des institutions étatiques.