Week 8 - Anna Le
The article, "Spirituality in the academy: reclaiming from the margins and evoking a transformative way of knowing the world" by R.A. Shahjahan was a fantastic read. Although the paper itself is a bit outdated, I think it's still imperative to have conversations and critiques about how our current academic system is conducting itself today. I have never seen academia is a colonial rule, but after reading this paper, it makes sense to me how the structures have oppressed or marginalized people who have spiritual beliefs, many of which come from indigenous cultures or POCs. If we do practice spirituality, then it has to be something that Western society has agreed upon, which is Christianity. The paper continues to point out ways in which the academic structure has silenced our way of being and other modes of knowledge because it benefits certain groups of people and neo-liberalism.
I agree with the author's standpoint that allowing academics to integrate spirituality into their lives wholly, not just outside of academia, can expand their way of knowing, increase creativity, and compassion. The author criticizes academia for prioritizing a positivist approach to knowledge and that doing so oppresses other ways of knowing. The system rewards and preserves the "ego" in the manner of increasing publications to benefit intellectual reputation or "fame." In spirituality, it is known in many belief systems that the ego is what separates us from connecting to all that is (God, Divinity, Nothing-ness, Non-Being). However, connecting to this source or expanding our consciousness can benefit us greatly, but the structures that currently oppress our way of thinking causes us to lose our connection with all that is (including ourselves, nature, and humanity). We no longer think of ourselves in connection with others, and thus we lose a sense of compassion and sincerity and then become selfish and disconnected. There is much value in integrating this thought system into our lives, but for as long as the system continues to say these belief systems are not valued, humanity will have a hard time finding peace.
References
I agree with the author's standpoint that allowing academics to integrate spirituality into their lives wholly, not just outside of academia, can expand their way of knowing, increase creativity, and compassion. The author criticizes academia for prioritizing a positivist approach to knowledge and that doing so oppresses other ways of knowing. The system rewards and preserves the "ego" in the manner of increasing publications to benefit intellectual reputation or "fame." In spirituality, it is known in many belief systems that the ego is what separates us from connecting to all that is (God, Divinity, Nothing-ness, Non-Being). However, connecting to this source or expanding our consciousness can benefit us greatly, but the structures that currently oppress our way of thinking causes us to lose our connection with all that is (including ourselves, nature, and humanity). We no longer think of ourselves in connection with others, and thus we lose a sense of compassion and sincerity and then become selfish and disconnected. There is much value in integrating this thought system into our lives, but for as long as the system continues to say these belief systems are not valued, humanity will have a hard time finding peace.
References
- Shahjahan, R. A. (2005). Spirituality in the academy: Reclaiming from the margins and evoking a transformative way of knowing the world. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 18(6), 685-711. doi:10.1080/09518390500298188
- Jacobs, C. (n.d.). [Digital image]. Retrieved from https://ideas.ted.com/activism-isnt-just-for-adults-and-teens-we-need-to-teach-younger-kids-to-be-activists-too/
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