Religious Education? Jodi Turner-Smith as God, a Sociological Analysis

For those of you in Year 13 who have turned eighteen, you may have watched the most recent series of Sex Education on Netflix.

In Season 4 of Sex Education, Eric (played by Ncuti Gatwa) grapples with his Christian faith and his identity, and begins to see visions of God (played by Jodi Turner-Smith) and is told that his calling is to ‘let everyone know that I (God) love them for who they are’.

So, imagining that Sociology text books used Netflix as application, it might read something like this...

Functionalists:

Whilst religion can act as a conservative force, organic change in society is part of the tinkering, and incremental improvements that society goes through, within its existing structures. This demonstrates the importance of religion as a key institution in society in providing guidance and stability to individuals such as Eric, helping him and his family navigate his identity and life decisions. The likes of Durkheim and Parsons would possibly welcome a female God in the modern day, as this may promote social cohesion at a time where gender equality is, once again, a societal debate.

Feminists:

Liberal feminists may view God appearing to Eric as a woman as an example of the March of Progress in contemporary society. Thinkers such as Carol Christ would support the connection with the Goddess, and Mary Daly and El Saadawi may approve of a key character who challenges the patriarchal rewriting of religion, and goes some way to unpick the ‘planetary sexual caste system’ that some religions, according to some feminists, have used to enforce a hierarchy of oppression.

Marxists:

Does the inclusive and positive portrayal of Christianity in this contemporary series act as an "opiate of the masses"? Is this simply ideological conditioning via Netflix, convincing us that the current structures of society are not only positive, but also inevitable? Is this simply contributing to the false class consciousness of the proletariat, who are brainwashed by religion in the hope of a perfect afterlife? Might neo-Marxists see more agency in this character...

Neo-Marxists:

If Gramsci were alive to see this series, would he describe Eric as an organic intellectual, pushing for social change in society? Would the apparition of a female God, and the narrative in this series around diversity and truth, be viewed as counter-hegemony? Would neo-Marxists be curious about the dual function of religion, maintaining social stability whilst also pushing for change and inclusion?

Postmodernists:

And finally, would our postmodernists applaud this portrayal of religion as one which emphasises diversity, choice and individual identity? Perhaps postmodernists would look more widely at the storylines of spirituality in this series, including therapeutic services, non-religious funerals and secular scattering of ashes, and question whether the definition of religion is far broader than simply traditional churches such as Christianity?

Of course, an episode of Sex Education would not be welcomed as application in your exam essays, however analyses such as these can act as effective memory retrieval, deliberate practice of key theories and vocabulary, and can help to stretch and develop your evaluative thinking! As far as contemporary examples go, this one provides plenty of sociological food for thought.