Faith

Technically speaking, faith doesn’t come into my current practice. I work on a student skill-based front, normally conversations around what I teach, are solely about the subject rather than any topics within the course or outside of the course.

The resources were extremely interesting to read, mostly due to the fact of my sexuality and how it has been a constant battle with faith. What I took from the paper ‘Religion in Britain: Challenges for Higher Education’ of multiculturalism, the public sphere and Minority Identities, these three topics stood out to my positionality rather than my teaching practice. Understanding how my history with faith has built my positionality to be strong, and independent on my stance around the crippling control faith has on society, women’s rights and LGBTQI people. Growing up in Northern Ireland, really shaped my views on religion and how sectarianism plays a role in my beliefs around a secular education system.

I believe that a secular education platform is a future and that faith has no place in the teaching practices, and if it does, then it should be subjected to interpretation, just the same as those who study religion and regurgitate their personal opinions on their meanings of scripture. This is also supported in the BBC iPlayer lecture: ‘The Reith Lectures’ the lecture of ‘Mistaken Identities’ by Kwame Anthony Appiah, with the audience interaction section, Appiah mentions that scripture is interpreted and adapted by the reader to adapt to the current situation of communities. With this the adaption of an audience’s proposal to change the wording of religion to community and how would that change the perception of faith and belief systems to a wider audience. As Appiah is a gay man, who similarly lived with two religions and has become an expert in deciphering the complexities behind community and religion. I did feel a stronger connection to this lecture, which allowed the review of opening my teaching practice with some new terminology, Orthopraxy stood out as it is how religious people conduct themselves, ethically and liturgically, could I interpret this to workshop conduct and how ethical practices are changing the textiles industry with every new generation of practitioners.

Appiah’s three dimensions also stood out;

1. What you do, the practice.

2. Who you do it with, the community.

3. Body of beliefs, the religion you follow.

My other interpretation would be in a technical scenario, building a UAL dimension system that is key to learning and belief in craft, symbolising the religious pillars behind community and practice. The community of textiles and the practice is incredibly open and welcoming, the challenge would be succeeding the social aspect around academic learning goals and the technical workshop environments.

Studying these resources has allowed me to review my own past, and where my positionality sits within my teaching practice, the benefit of this is being spacious in the sense of welcoming and my curiosity around faith. Personal practice and academic practice will always cross paths, my goal as a technical tutor is to provide a safe space and awareness around caring, so that students feel welcomed on their faith and can express their religious needs or concerns in the workshop environment.

Reference

“BBC Radio 4 – the Reith Lectures, Kwame Anthony Appiah – Mistaken Identities, Creed.” BBC, www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07z43ds.

Modood, Tariq, and Craig Calhoun. Stimulus Paper. June 2015.

Shades of Noir. “Higher Power: Religion, Faith, Spirituality & Belief.” Shades of Noir, 2017, shadesofnoir.org.uk/journals/higher-power-religion-faith-spirituality-belief/. Accessed 11 June 2023.

S&F Online. “Queerthinking Religion: Queering Religious Paradigms.” The Scholar & Feminist Online, 23 Mar. 2017, sfonline.barnard.edu/queerthinking-religion-queering-religious-paradigms/.