As someone culturally raised a Catholic who does not practice this as a faith, I would say that I am an Atheist, I found looking into the theories and experiences of those with a faith something to reconsider. Faith and religion are not often a subject raised with colleagues or students. In fact if anything it is avoided due to perhaps a lack of knowledge or awareness of a person’s faith or the trope that politics and religion are not areas to be avoided in discussion due to the sensitivity of such topics. Here are are some reflections on three of the following sources:
Is it possible to move beyond the pretence of ‘difference-blindness’?
When Modood (2015) discusses secular states and public religions in the UK I am struck by how through established structures both politically and religiously the effect not just in this country but others across the world who have been colonised (or not) has implications that reach us in our current socio-political climate. The impact this has for me as a teacher of English can be felt as I navigate the history of a hegemonic domination in terms of learning the English language. Bringing a debate to include faith such as this into a teaching and learning space requires fine tuning and may or may not be necessary given the work students are doing and I do wonder is it possible to move beyond the pretence of ‘difference-blindness’?
This could easily be a classroom debate, it is multi-layered when considering the diverse mix of faiths within the student body. The UK establishment now includes all faiths when it is politically appropriate during state occasions and memorials as Modood (2015) suggests further the need for Muslim schools to be funded, bringing Muslims into governance and developing inter-faith relations has also happened perhaps more visibly in the last 10 years or so. However, ‘othering’ people is still part of the issue here in the UK.
It could be argued that as part of the status quo now that we are in a post- Brexit era, recognising more than ever how people from different races and faiths have a variety of cultural habits and traditions beyond simply their religion, which have been ignored or essentialized, means to acknowledge identities that are multicultural is vital for our society and, in the classroom at a UK university as paramount given the diverse cohort.
As Modood (2015 ) expresses when looking at minority identities “most religions require the observance of rules of piety, and Britain is experiencing such practice-based religions re-entering the public space after quite a long period in which such religion has been eroded away or transformed into private belief” (Modood, 2015:9 ). Whilst there is change in the UK within the public sphere and institutions such as universities there is still however much to be done in the name of equality and inclusivity.
Reference:
Modood, T. and Calhoun, C. (2015) Religion in Britain: Challenges for Higher Education Leadership Foundation for Higher Education: London. ISBN 978-1-906627-76-8
The Reith Lecture Series on ‘Creed’ by Kwame Anthony Appiah
Listening to the insights, wisdom and knowledge from the philosopher and writer Kwame Anthony Appiah in this lecture entitled ‘Creed’ reminded me of listening to students when we have touched on a person’s background and or religion. Although these conversations have not been within the same intellectual frame such as this lecture, they have opened up a students’ truth. These conversations in connection with the theme of a project from a person’s cultural perspective often touch on a person’s faith as opposed to beliefs.
Kwame talks about how within identities often a person’s faith or religion is not about belief but about habits and community as much as anything else. This one fact I found interesting, as well as many others in the lecture including his association to identity and thoughts on fundamentalism. The idea that faith within a culture runs deeper than what you believe from say the Bible, Quran or Torah and how a person lives and functions within the systems this faith creates means adding a fundamental understanding to how faith is seen throughout the world. Part of this lecture could be used as a listening task to develop skills and generate discussion.
This Reith Lecture also holds a truth for me as someone raised a Catholic, later deciding as a teenager I did not believe in the structures and systems upheld by the Catholic church stopped attending a place of worship or believing in the God of this faith. I am nevertheless still ‘culturally’ a Catholic. In that I still know people who have a strong faith, there are still traditional ceremonies and traditions within my family that I attend (weddings and funerals) and a certain mindset that is a part of me and my family. For this reason despite my lack of belief, I respect and admire those who do have the support and community of a faith. I have seen how the structures offered through ritual, dress, tradition, food and reaching out to those at times of need or otherwise gives a sense of togetherness offering human connection that gives people belonging and purpose.
As with many of the texts and videos watched all could potentially be adapted to fit into my teaching context depending on the work students were doing or as part of say a Pre-sessional summer course that looked at the theme of Identity. For example, part of this lecture could be used as a listening, or writing task to develop these skills whilst also generating discussion around the topic of Faith. This could then lead into some form of creative production, again depending on the design of a syllabus. It would also require some careful consideration and sensitivity depending on the teaching context.
Reference:
‘Creed’, Kwame Anthony Appiah – Mistaken Identities, BBC Radio 4, 22nd October 2016, 12:15.
Spiritual System opposing Internet System? A processed interview with Zhang Ji by Yiming Sun, 2017-10-09
Given that the student is from China this interview resonates for me. The interview is a lovely look at how a student finds inspiration through spirituality whilst also discussing their work and reflects on the creative experience. The questions asked give the student the space to be honest and open about themselves, something I have at times seen students struggle with.
“Q: How do you make sense of yourself as being able to see a different world compared to your peers?
Zhang: Self-identification is a tough thing for me and it always has been. It invloves problems. From time to time, you get people think you are mentally ill, after all it is an excessive work fo the sense, generally speaking. You get lonely. Because a large part of your life is impossible to be expressed to others. You may only write it down and talk to spirits, which annoyed me sometimes.” (Yiming Sun, 2017:54)
The student interviewed clearly has a high level of language ability and fluency, albeit that it may have been helped along with Google translate! Although I am careful not to firmly say this is what has happened, yet I have seen many texts by students that have, and can often see where potentially first language comes in and where this can help explain a cultural context that may be also be expressed here. This is an important part of expression and for me as an English language tutor I do not see this in a negative light. It is also a lovely read so should be celebrated!
However, I am often talking to students who may have less linguistic skill. My aim in the majority of sessions is to give a student confidence to express themselves and if possible as the student has done so eloquently here. Building confidence to express ideas and explain context is part of the learning process so it is also a good example of how as a teacher I can also learn from a student. To move beyond English language learning and how a student sees and produces their work beyond the cultural context and into the realm of the artist helps me facilitate students to describe the process of developing ideas as a project progresses.
Added to the above by bringing this into a lesson it could also represent those who have this same sense of spirituality whether that be culturally or not and so offer representation and recognition for the student and their faith. An article like this also gives me pause for thought when teaching students who have faith and the impact this can have on their work. I also think it shines a light onto how students interact with their context and express a deep insight into their thought processes and creative practice.
Reference:
Yiming Sun (2017) Spiritual System opposing Internet System? A processed interview with Zhang Ji. (pg 52-55). Available: https://shadesofnoir.org.uk/journals/higher-power-religion-faith-spirituality-belief/ [Accessed: 24th May 2023]
i love how you continue to couragously bring your own personal experience to your writing and i feel that by doing this you give others, and primarily your students, permission to do the same.
i liked how you talk about kwame anthony appiah’s reith lecture on ‘creed’ and you talk about how his way of talking authentically about his life is similar to how you aid your students to talk about their experience, their ‘truth’. this is really powerful stuff.
Hello Jo. Another great blog post! It resonates with me a lot, as similarly to you I was brought up as Catholic and left the church structures as a teenager. Listening to Kwame and reading your reflections made me think more about how we are shaped by the beliefs of our families and how without having our faith we still can recognise and respect religious communities. It made me more aware how religion is still part of my identity and positionality, even though I am quite distant from any religious practice. It was also very interesting to read about the interview with Zhang Ji by Yiming Sun and how you reflected on it in relation to your practice.
Thank you for your kind comments. This unit has certainly meant a fresh look at faith, and like you when considering my own I see it as part of my identity, even if it is almost within the subconscious as part of who we are as people.
Having trained as a Tefl teacher I’m lucky in that I learned how to think about how a text (of any kind) can relate to my practice when considering skills for learning and developing English so this seems like a natural thing for me to do. I am also interested in student experience and how to view a student as an individual learner who has specific learning needs and styles over and above what I would like them to achieve. The articles in SoN are teaching gold for me!