The extent and content of boundary barrier functions can be explained by decisionsmade by the neighbouring states and their implementation on the local level. Withthe sudden changes of government and governance in 1989–1991 in Eastern andCentral Europe, the relation between individual and state changed drastically,from top-down, 'socialist' state-territorially contained relations into a moremultidimensional relationship where democratic bottom-up influences plays a moreimportant role, but where also commercial interests, mediated information andsupra-state ('international') regulation intervene. In the juxtaposition of territorialstates, the difference in jurisdiction between hierarchical levels has led to misfits,asymmetries that negatively impact the possibilities for cross-border co-operation.Using a cultural trait, that of religion as a measure of internal and cross-borderinteraction, the following questions were asked: What is the relation between theterritorial ("nation") state, civil society and education in border towns? Will the localteaching of religion be influenced by the proximity of a different state with anotherset of cultural and jurisdictional norms? The questions were approached withexamples from the teaching of religion, ethics and civics in northeastern Europeanborder areas, involving border twin towns in Norway, Russia, Finland, Estonia,Latvia, Poland and Germany. The present study involved four different academicdisciplines; the study of religion, education, geography and political science.Information about the teaching of religion and ethics was made throughstructured interviews with teachers and principals of selected schools made byassistants fluent in the language(s) of the locality. Questions were also asked aboutthe use of religious and other symbols, the celebration of holidays and other eventsThe study resulted in a general rejection of the hypotheses. Education,especially related to religion, civics and ethics, is almost completely influenced by thehomogeneous territorial jurisdiction of each state. Local civil society plays a minorrole in the teaching. Local religious groups are usually not invited to the schools,and parents show little interest in the teaching contents of school life. The existenceof cross-border migrants is to some extent taken into consideration in languageteaching, but not in civics or religion. While cross-border relations are friendly, theyare rarely intense.

In geographical areas bordering those of other states, the function of educational systems, as the means for states to foster their citizens, is challenged by ambiguities and tensions connected to intercultural experiences. In this article, I illustrate some of the findings from a project that studies religious education in four border areas around the Baltic-Barents Sea, by bringing forward the case of a school teacher who teaches Orthodox religious education (ORE), in a town in Finland close to the border with Russia. Thus, the aim is to present and discuss ORE in Finland as well as to understand what implication the border situation can have on religious education.

In this article, I use the experience of a Czech doctoral student to discuss why religion education in Sweden can be understood as both deeply Lutheran and at the same time neutral and objective. In do- ing this, I look at the present syllabus in religion education, point to some of the changes that have been made in relation to the previous syllabus, and highlight some of the controversies that arose when it was written in 2010. I also put Swedish religion education and Swed- ish educational system in a historical context, pointing to its relation to liberal theology and cultural Protestantism. In addition, I present how teacher education is organized for religion education teachers and how the academic Study of Religions has been an important part of this during recent decades. At the end of the article I reflect upon the protestant taste of Sweden’s ‘non-denominational and neutral’ religion education.