Faith undeniably influences intersectionality, shaping how we are perceived based on society’s preconceived ideas about religion. Despite having no religious beliefs myself, I am of Scottish origin and find theology fascinating for its symbolism, art, and customs.
Appiah, (2014) TED talk “Is Religion good or bad” presents a simplistic idea that the worlds major theological beliefs have been defined as formal religions in how they compare to the practice of Christianity.
I agree with him that religious practices were often judged by Christian standards, which imposed specific expectations on followers. However, many religions can be further divided into subcultures, each with its own norms.
Appiah also asserts that religion has historically facilitated scientific progress. While it’s true that religious figures like monks and priests have contributed to mathematics and astronomy, this is often due to their financial independence rather than an inherent equality between religion and science.
Religion should be a personal experience shared with others who have similar beliefs. Elevating religion to the same level as science and modern education can potentially limit access to education, science, and fields like sports.
In Jawad’s(2022), Islam, Women and Sport: The Case of Visible Muslim Women , the article examines the perceived barriers Muslim women face in accessing high level sports. Jawad discusses the negative perception of Islam in recent times with relation to middle East wars and terrorism but I fail to see how this shapes the inclusion of Muslim women in sport.
There are Western views of Muslim women as subordinate within their own community and perhaps are not enabled within their communities to participate, this is not the case most of the time but I feel there is an element of inhibiting within certain groups on religious grounds that don’t work in women’s interest to partake in sport particularly in a culturally diverse society as opposed to one where their religions values are integral to the dominant culture.
I discussed this issue with a middle eastern female swimmer who competed internationally in swimming. She noted that maintaining modesty in swimming was challenging but feasible, depending on how strictly families interpreted religious guidelines but it was still possible to compete to a high level.
Opinions differ between the younger generation and their parents especially in areas of gender, gender rolls and social expectations. These views are often propped up by cultural views that are strongly influenced by religion.
UAL (2022) Annual report shows 28% of students identified as having faith and I’m interested to know what effect faith has on attainment in Art & Design.
Kurt & Drew(2019) find that the results can be polarising and are dependent on religion, sex and generation with each combination creating its own intersectionality, it would also be interesting to look at the field of attainment whether it be academic or artistic.
The younger generation’s struggle to balance traditional cultural and religious expectations with contemporary academic demands could contribute to an attainment gap. Students of faith might play it safe with their project ideas to navigate this delicate balance, leading to
lower marks from academics who prioritise boundary-pushing and innovation.
Thus, the intersection of faith and culture can create unique challenges for students of faith in academic and extracurricular achievements.
References
UAL (2022) – Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Annual report 2021/22
Kurt & Drew (2019) – Does Religion Influence Educational Attainment
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
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/
I found the idea that religion may influence decision-making processes really interesting. This made me question whether this is indeed the case (more information would be helpful to confirm). If it is, what can we, as educators, do to help students who are concerned with social expectations to truly thrive? Could celebrating contemporary work by faith groups or inviting prominent community figures to raise awareness of the intersection of art and religion be beneficial? Or does this risk damaging social acceptance?
Lastly, are we wrong to expect lower marks for students from academics who prioritise boundary-pushing and innovation, or is this just a natural progression within the discipline? Really interesting read, Campbell!
I’m not sure if a celebration of contemporary works by those of faith is the right angle unless maybe it’s work directly influenced by their faith which could be interesting, maybe boundaries need to be pushed with those of faith and how younger generations view and interact with it in the context of their geographical area compared to the faiths origins or the differing world opinions and expectations.
It feels harsh but if boundaries have not been pushed then lower marks may be expected sometimes especially if the tutors feel that their brief hasn’t been fully explored.
You definitely make some interesting points about how faith may affect students within UAL. I would be interested to find out if these potential notions are also observed but he religious individuals mentioned or if they find it affects their work differently than you may presume. I am also intrigued to understand further if you feel your own positionally and lack of faith has a sway on your individual teaching? Also you mention how you find theology fascinating. Have you found that this interest has fed into your work either artistically or teaching wise?
I have noticed how some religious iconography gets used more than others and interestingly how christians symbols get used by others of different faiths, I wonder if this is as a proxy to ensure the notions of their design work doesn’t come into conflict with personal or family.
I very rarely have any contact with faith in regards to my teaching, I’m pretty much practical in what I do and I suppose it only comes up in conversation when it’s an integral part of the students work as it was this year with a student looking at her Islamic faith.
My interest lies in the symbolism and iconography, faiths have some of the best brand management there is having had thousands of years if refining, I suppose I enjoy the story behind it all despite not being religious myself.
This blog was interesting to read and I felt that the opinions you put forward were both genuine and thought provoking. I particularly found the comparisons you drew between cultural pressures and religion intersecting to sometimes apply misplaced expectations on people’s (particularly women’s) lives so valuable.
I have a comment / question around the last point, around the idea of playing it safe and how it can often lead to lower attainment rates among academics who encourage boundary pushing. I can’t help but wonder if the academic body came from similar backgrounds to the students or took into account what the student may have overcome whether the boundaries they are pushing would be much clearer to see?
I’m not sure on you last point on about the academics who may share lived experience, I suppose it depends if the student can be frank about restrictions they impose on themselves or feel don’t rest well with their beliefs and how this affects their ability to fulfil their brief. There is a boundary where perhaps academics may feel difficult to cross despite shared experience to see if there is anything causing resistance in their exploration of subject matter.