Religious Identity and Epistemic Injustice: An Intersectional Account
Jaclyn Rekis
Rekis article talks about how religion intersects with other identities to create unique ways in which people experience epistemic injustice. This is particularly felt for people from minority religions with intersecting identities.
Secular and naturalistic-worldview contexts, such as academic environments are spaces where this epistemic injustice is felt.
Epistemic injustice ultimately results in voices from these people not being heard, or viewpoints and ideas not given credit or taken seriously.
“Either the speaker or the hearer loses out on some piece of knowledge being exchanged, which reflects “a moment of dysfunction in the overall epistemic practice or system” (Rekis, p.781)
“Prejudice therefore operates as an “obstacle to truth” (Rekis, p.781)
This thinking has some really interesting ramifications for my teaching in that we may create an echo-chamber of Western/Cristian viewpoints, fail to be challenged by voices from outside of that community because they are dismissed and not given enough credit, or people from those minorities are not confident to offer opinions and challenge ideologies and methodologies.
This relates to bell hooks writing about art criticism and race and how minorities need to be given the platform and the security to express opinions and speak critically about the work of others, for art criticism and art practice to develop.
Is religion good or bad?
Kwame Anthony Appiah
Kwame Anthony Appiah talks about the differences between major religions and how it’s a focus on the differences that often has caused aggression, violence, wars etc.
Is he talking about the intersection of religion and socio-economic status? Power? Idea of white Christian travellers and colonisers finding beliefs that were different to their own and wanting to convert these people to Christianity.
Appiah also talks about moment in the 19th century where there was the separation of science and religion. “was a kind of deal that was cut between science, this new way of organising intellectual authority, and religion.” (Appiah, 7.34 mins). So that thought no longer had to be framed by the assumptions of religion.
Is this about intersection of religion and science? Religion and power? Or about how the academic institution is in the position of power, the tutors are in a position of power and if the institution has the perspective of secular, naturalistic worldview then there is a danger that viewpoint is positioned as the dominant one in the classroom? Within the societal background of Christianity?
Or is it about us all acknowledging that intellectual thoughts no longer have to align with the assumptions of religion so we should not discriminating against the thinking of people from other belief systems, assuming that they are framing these thoughts by the assumptions of their religious beliefs?
“So there’s a big change, and that division, that intellectual division of labor occurs as I say, I think, and it sort of solidifies so that by the end of the 19th century in Europe, there’s a real intellectual division of labor, and you can do all sorts of serious things, including, increasingly, even philosophy, without being constrained by the thought, “Well, what I have to say has to be consistent with the deep truths that are given to me by our religious tradition.” (Appiah, 9.04 mins).
Appiah gives the example of the Asante people, of modern day Ghana, where “This is not a world in which the separation between religion and science has occurred. Religion has not being separated from any other areas of life”. So is this about being respectful of religious views and being mindful that in some cultures, religion has not separated from science?
Challenging Race, Religion, and Stereotypes in Classroom
Simran Jeet Singh
Simran Jeet Singh talks about challenging stereotypes. In his context, he talks about the US as a society founded on equality and justice but also founded on discrimination and racism. Giving current examples of race issues manifesting, protests in Charlotte, police killings of young black men. Singh also talks about how we tend to paint entire communities with a single brushstroke, whereas each community is diverse.
“These sorts of things are issues that we like to think don’t exist in our society today but we can’t help but notice that they really do and we need to confront them. Though I think one of the real challenges we’re facing in our society is a tendency to try and paint entire communities with a single brush stroke” (Singh, 0.50 mins)
He looks to challenge basic stereotypes to highlight the difference in communities and states that in his teaching he will “Try and show students that there are multiple ways of looking at everything. Everyone has their own experiences. Everyone’s their own perspectives and if we can try and understand where people are coming from with empathy and sort of a human element then that allows us to really engage with difference in a way that I constructive rather than destructive.” (Singh, 1.54 mins)
In terms of intersectionality this piece relates to ideas around being aware that within religious and racial groups, there are differences. So not to apply stereotyping and think that discrimination will affect each person the same. Kimberlé Crenshaw’s theory of intersectionality tells us that other aspects of a person’s identity will intersect with religion and create unique experiences of discrimation.
Key terms
- Epistemic injustice (Miranda Fricker)
- Testimonial epistemic injustice
- Hermeneutical epistemic injustice
- Worldview
- Social Identity
Bibliography
Trinity University (2016) Challenging Race, Religion, and Stereotypes in the Classroom. [Online]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CAOKTo_DOk
Reki, J. (2023) Religious Identity and Epistemic Injustice: An Intersectional Account. Hypatia 38, pp779–800.
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
It’s all a lot to take in… whilst I’m still processing I was particularly interested in how the learning is manifesting in your own practise… because my understanding especially the ancient scriptures and I would suppose the typography thereof, in Sanskrit and the development of it play an important role in the religious practise today… there is a fabulous museum dedicated to this in Jaipur… I have looked for a link however failed to locate…. If memory serves me correctly there is some similarities to be found in Judaism and I believe in Islam. It’s late so I’m rambling… but I think the Gutenberg bible typeface maybe B42… referenced in a Type Archive talk by Susan Shaw before it closed, has been argued as the key to understanding the printing process as we know it today …apologies for the ramble it just occurred to me that faith could potentially offer some wonderful opportunities for getting back to the blocks / manuscripts and having some fun… I mean the natural yellow pigment found in the early Hindu scriptures is said to be derived from the urine from cows with gallstones that have fed under mango trees
Thank you, Liz. A fantastic idea to look at religious scripts. The origins and development of typography are so connected to religion and so yes, this could be a great avenue to explore.
I particularly like the way you have shown your stream-of-consciousness in unpacking the complex layers of Kwame Anthony Appiah’s talk. I am also finding myself doing this sort of casting out of the thought net a lot in this unit.
It makes me think about what Amberlee said after hearing our responses to one of the pre-tasks texts – Feminism and the challenge of racism: Deviance or difference? (Aziz, 1997). We had complained that it was dense, over-academic and hard to read, whereas she said that she found it engaging, interesting, and was quick to read it, and that this difference was because she could relate to the text personally, as a black woman with lived experience of these issues.
I feel very aware in this unit, that my identity affords me so many privileges in this academic environment, and that I will need to spend considerable time unpacking and addressing layers of intersectional discrimination that I would never have considered when thinking about inclusive practices – in the context of this unit, as a white, atheist woman without a disability who grew up and lives in a culture dominated by western christianity and secularism. Therefore, it may take a bit of time to process and think through.
I think the questions you pose in response to texts and your own positionality demonstrates a reflective and open mind, based on a propensity for nuance. This is surely one of the most important factors in all of this, to be able to become better at seeing and interpreting the shades of grey.
Your writing pursues the understanding and deconstruction of complex ideas and phenomena, endeavouring to bring these concepts into focus. It will be exciting to see how these begin to filter into your own working practices.