Reflecting on ‘Interview with Saffron Mustafa’ I am reminded that Britain is a multi-cultural society with a long history of, sometimes forced, migrations across the globe, resulting in diverse groups of people settling in British towns and cities. Generations of people originating from cultures, religions, traditions within the global majority are educated within British educational systems.
Mustafa’s admission that she found integrating into mainstream schooling as a muslim teenager after being home-schooled speaks of the intersections of race and faith. Although she is a white woman, because of her religion, she experienced difficulties within her peer group.
Within my teaching practice I need to be completely aware of my positionality and sensitive to that of others, even when my beliefs differ from that of my students. I believe part of my role as a teacher with the Higher Education sector is not only to practice inclusivity, but also to encourage it amongst my students. Where potentially sensitive topics may come up in discussion or within resources I provide, I can give trigger warnings, set out clear ground rules that promote mutual respect of differing beliefs and opinions.
By reading Calhoun (2015) I learnt that religion is not just about personal faith and spirituality, it is also about community, identity and belonging. Challenges exist for higher education to foreground religion and faith within debates on wider topics. Religion should not only be discussed as an isolated issue but should be considered as central to some student’s university experience.
I would question whether it is beneficial for students and staff to be involved in public discussion on religion and/or faith, or whether wider discussions on inclusivity (that include faith) might better address the need for mutual respect, acceptance and celebration of diversity. In my practice I feel able to discuss religion with students however, I do not believe it is my role to provide guidance or advice on religious or spiritual matters. I need to be mindful that students will have differing beliefs, values and ethics, therefore design inclusive teaching and learning that respects all faiths as well as non-faith.
References
Appiah, K. A, Mistaken Identities Reith Lecture, BBC
Modood & Calhoun, (2015) Religion in Britain: Challenges for Higher Education
Shades of Noir Terms of Reference, Faith ‘Interview with Saffron Mustafa’, page 28-31
Thank you for you insight. Your concern about public discussion has made me think about this issue from another perspective I hadn’t really considered. I wonder if the tutor after setting out the ground rules of mutual respect and trigger warnings (thank you for this too) could facilitate a conversation in such a way that allows for narrow attitudes to change without needing to go into details of a faith? There are individuals through isolation are stuck with narrow notions of what religion or faith is. Commenting here has made me think of the flawed Prevent strategy.
Thank you for your thoughts Khaver which prompted me to think further about ways in which such a personal and subjective topic might be included in discussions. I think what I need to remember is that promoting mutual respect, respect and acceptance of differences of opinion, belief, faith is crucial, and even if conversations have tensions there should always be space to express ourselves without fear of judgement, prejudice or hostility.
Sarah, I love your refection – it has really made me think about what an incredible mix of nationalities and cultures we have in the UK and all that is to be celebrated about that – what it brings to us as a community. As we have leant, awareness is the key in terms of our positionality and how that might influence what & how we teach and the way that we interact with students. We become the conduits of inclusivity by making safe spaces for our students to discuss, debate and share their personal experiences if they feel willing to do so. I have never thought about giving out trigger warnings in class but realise this is something I must consider where appropriate. It was interesting when one of our colleagues on the course discussed the negative feedback she had received after using a Germaine Greer text as a reading study in class – perhaps by preparing students this would allow them to participate with an awareness that the writing was from a certain time and view point, aided by a discussion of the positives and negatives of such a positionality, The writer themselves came from. I am really interested to read your thoughts on the importance of religion on some students experience at university – I have never considered this but will do from now on. I agree that faith is so personal I am not sure it is suitable to discuss in class unless it is relevant to a particular project or piece of work but I love the idea of ‘mutual respect, acceptance and celebration of diversity.’ Thank you for helping me to think abut these issues in such a beautifully written way.