In Appiah’s TED talk, intersections occur through socio-economic status and faith. In one example of a wedding in northern Namibia religion intertwines with everyday life, this is true of anyone of any socio-economic status even that of an ex World bank employee (Appiah, K. A, 2014). For Jeet Singh intersection occurs through his experience as a scholar, Sikh and father. In the example he challenges stereotypes by striking up conversation (Trinity University, 2016). In Jawad’s post, intersections occur through faith and gender through the dilemma of being a female muslim sports person in a dominant Western sporting cultures (Jawad, H, 2022). Lastly the Rekis Article highlights various intersections from faith and gender through muslim women and veiling to Sojourner Truth where intersections occur through her christian faith, being a black woman and abolitionist, feminist (Reki, J, 2023).
The themes which emerge in the resources are the different perspectives which oppose that of dominant western religious christian or secular viewpoints. For Appiah religion occupies a different role in many parts of the world, religion has not been separated from science or any other part of life (Appiah, K. A, 2014). Rekis examines how in the West religious minorities are racialised because of their religion creating stereotypes and diminishing people (Reki, J, 2023). Racilisation is more evident through gender where a Muslim women may face prejudices through the object of dress which doesn’t occur in the same way for Muslim men (Reki, J, 2023). The challenges of dress is further highlighted through Jawad’s post where Western sporting practices make it difficult for Muslim women to participate (Hijab not being allowed or accommodation of sex segregated spaces) (Jawad, H, 2022).
In my own teaching context looking at the UAL data for the course I teach on, it is no surprise that more than half of students mention ‘no religion’ in the student profile characteristics data, though some have not stated a religion (Figure 1).
Are students hesitant to make their faith known because of fear of stigmatisation? Baratta & Smith discuss dual identities of students navigating their academic and religious selves in the Secular University sector in the UK. They conclude more students expressed conflicts than those that did not, arising from the program of study from secular viewpoints in taught sessions to conflicts in the wider Universities context such as marginalisation and unfair targeting of Muslim students based on the UK ‘Prevent Duty’ legislation (Baratta & Smith, 2018).
Students on our course are inspired by known ‘Biodesign’ type projects often taking a secular stance (Anquetil, A. 2024). One student this year from a Zen Buddhist background included this in their work, we encouraged this but also learnt a lot from this student in tutorials where they were an expert in their beliefs and challenged our viewpoints when it came to funeral rituals.
How can we encourage religious viewpoints in ‘Biodesign’ projects, especially when it comes to issues of Bioethics and scientific epistemologies? And what might some resolutions be in the wider UK University landscape?
-Could it lie in the Intertwining of religion and everyday life such as what Appiah discusses and respect of various viewpoints? (Appiah, K. A, 2014).
-Investment in faith and belief societies on campus? (Perfect, 2019).
-Diversity of staff, and non canonical art/design references? (Tapponi, R. 2023).
-Greater Awareness of religious feast days and celebrations of multiple faiths?
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References:
Anquetil, A. (2024) What is biodesign? combining nature and Design, Medium. Available at: https://medium.com/design-council/what-is-biodesign-combining-nature-and-design-c5ff5766f864 (Accessed: 02 June 2024).
Appiah, K. A. (2014) Is religion good or bad? (This is a trick question). Youtube [Online]. 16 June. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2et2KO8gcY
Baratta, A. and Smith, P.V. (2018) ‘The confrontation of identities: How university students manage academic and religious selves in higher education’, Educational Studies, 45(6), pp. 771–786. doi:10.1080/03055698.2018.1534084.
Jawad, H. (2022) Islam, Women and Sport: The Case of Visible Muslim Women. [Online]. Available at: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/religionglobalsociety/2022/09/islam-women-and-sport-the-case-of-visible-muslim-women/
Perfect, S. (2019) Having faith in universities: What life is really like for students of religion or belief, Theos Think Tank. Available at: https://www.theosthinktank.co.uk/comment/2019/07/04/having-faith-in-universities-what-life-is-really-like-for-students-of-religion-or-belief (Accessed: 01 June 2024).
Reki, J. (2023) Religious Identity and Epistemic Injustice: An Intersectional Account. Hypatia 38, pp779–800. Available at: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/hypatia/article/religious-identity-and-epistemic-injustice-an-intersectional-account/58E22487A151EC6C547B681189AF9BB4
Tapponi, R. (2023) The architect inspiring Muslim girls everywhere, gal-dem. Available at: https://gal-dem.com/sumayya-vally-interview/ (Accessed: 02 June 2024).
Trinity University (2016) Challenging Race, Religion, and Stereotypes in the Classroom. [Online]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CAOKTo_DOk
Jon, the element of your blog that stands out to me most is your reference to UK ‘Prevent Duty’ legislation (Baratta & Smith, 2018). This is such a terrible thing our government does, and further marginalises the muslim community. This legislation also works at silencing people too- at what point would a Muslim person be considered extreme enough to be considered at threat to the uk? Is a Muslim allowed to criticise the government, or suggest better ways of doing things at institutional levels? Or would they be seen with suspicion? It reminds me of this incident that happened in 2016 where a child didn’t know how to spell terraced house. (Link to incident below)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-35354061
Another point that you made was how faith and the culture associated to it can inform the way we create, design and get inspired. This was strengthened by the fact you were also using your student as an example of creating a safe space to learn about faith and how it can inspire biodesign and how then the talk went developed into learning about funeral rights. I thought this space you created was perfectly safe, which helped to create greater awareness amongst staff and students!
Hi Jon, once again I appreciate the way you incorporate data into your more thoughtful reflections. Here you pull the data but question whether it can be trusted. This is a very important point. Numbers can be useful in evaluating questions of inclusive practice, but they cannot be the one defining metric and need to also be interrogated.
The questions you pose at the end are also worth contemplating. I appreciate that you pose these as questions rather than directives as they are each prickly and complicated in their own way (in terms of funding, logistics, inclusivity, etc.). As someone with a background in Western art history, searching for non-canonical art/design references is one challenge I intend to embrace moving into the next term.
The point you raise regarding whether students are hesitant to make their faith known because of fear of stigmatisation is an important one to consider. I come from a religious home, but during my time at university this ‘other’ life was kept very separate, the university environment at the time felt very secular.
It’s great to see how student’s experiences and their faith are being embraced not only through their project work but through a space of sharing, gaining new knowledge and challenging viewpoints and perspectives for both practitioners and other students, which then builds a stronger community and learning environment.