In my role as head of a video production company and broadcast lecturer, ensuring that everyone on screen is visually represented in the best possible way is both a responsibility and a challenge. For years, darker-skinned characters have faced chronic misrepresentation due to inadequate lighting techniques, a problem rooted in the history of film.
While strides have been made toward diversity in casting and recognition, the conversation about the aesthetics of representation remains underexplored. It is not just about who appears on screen but how they are seen, especially for people with darker skin tones.
Emil Collins, left and Adjoa Andoh, on set of Ben Aaronovitch’s Future Worlds Prize for Fantasy & Science Fiction Writers of Colour 2022 (Emil Collins /Socialize Media Films Limited )
In July 2024, Adjoa Andoh, who plays Lady Danbury on Netflix’s Regency-era show “Bridgerton,” (The streamers 5th biggest release) says the series still doesn’t light Black skin properly, despite its diverse cast.
Adjoa Andoh, left, and Daniel Francis sit in a pew as Lady Danbury and Lord Anderson in an episode of Netflix’s show “Bridgerton.” (Liam Daniel / Netflix)
Adjoa Andoh and Golda Rosheuvel on the set of Bridgerton season three LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX
Katja Herbers and Mike Coulter on the set of Evil Season 1 CBS
“The continuing conversation about lighting Black skin — on every show, nothing’s changed,” she said in a recent podcast.
Andoh, who also had roles in films “Invictus” and “Fractured,” expressed that and other frustrations during the latest episode of “Stirring It Up.” Despite playing one of the sharpest and most influential women on “Bridgerton,” Andoh said, she doesn’t feel empowered in her career.
She said she feels comfortable speaking up now, but noted that the burden Black actors face to ask for what they deserve can be exhausting, especially compared with their white counterparts.
Historically, black actors have been disadvantaged by poor lighting, Ava DuVernay, director of 13th, has spoken out against this practice, emphasizing the need to light all actors thoughtfully. Cinematographers like Ava Berkofsky, who has pioneered techniques to enhance the appearance of black skin on shows like Insecure. Simple but impactful strategies—such as ensuring actors’ skin is well-moisturized to reflect light effectively—have significantly elevated on-screen representation.
Lighting should sculpt, not bleach, skin tones. This principle, evident in films like Boyz N the Hood and She’s Gotta Have It, is complemented by advances in digital technology. The power of these techniques is exemplified in films like Moonlight, where dark skin is rendered luminous under blue-tinted lighting.
A new generation of cinematographers, including Bradford Young (Selma, Pariah), James Laxton (Moonlight), and Rachel Morrison (Fruitvale Station) are revolutionizing the industry. Many, like Young, trained under pioneers such as Haile Gerima at Howard University, where the importance of cultural representation was deeply ingrained. These cinematographers build on a foundation laid by the likes of Ernest Dickerson and Arthur Jafa, creating works that challenge biases inherent in filmmaking technology. For instance, light meters and film calibrations historically prioritized white skin, sidelining accurate representation for people of colour.
The journey toward equitable representation on screen is intertwined with addressing these biases. Technological advancements now allow filmmakers to represent all skin tones accurately, but the real challenge lies in the industry’s will to embrace these tools. Films like Mudbound, Dope, and shows like Insecure showcase the rich diversity of blackness, moving beyond outdated tropes to celebrate darker skin tones and natural hair. This shift is about more than visibility—it’s about creating aspirational, nuanced portrayals of black lives.
Decolonizing the screen means acknowledging and addressing the historical erasure and neglect of darker-skinned actors. By embracing their beauty and richness, filmmakers can challenge the systemic biases that have long shaped cinematic representation. It’s time to move beyond shadows and bring the universe of blackness into the light.
This is why I have decided to research how I can decolonise content creation education by integrating techniques for lighting darker skin into my teaching practice and create the appropriate reference and teaching resources.
The original photography and cinematography lighting techniques and practices we teach were initially conceived with the idea of the best representation of white people and white skin. This may not have been on purpose, but it was an exclusionary factor. The clearest example of this is the ‘Shirley Card’
Example of a Kodak Shirley card (1978) courtesy of Hermann Zschiegner
For many years, this “Shirley” card — named for the original model, who was an employee of Kodak — was used by photo labs to calibrate skin tones, shadows and light during the printing process. The Shirley card was the standard, so when film processors printed anything, they had to pull Shirley in. If Shirley looked good, everything else was OK. If Shirley didn’t look so hot that day, they had to tweak something as it was seen as incorrect.
Shirley cards go back to the mid-1950s, a time when Kodak sold almost all of the color film used in the U.S. After a customer used the film, they would bring the roll to a Kodak store to be printed. In 1954, the federal government stepped in to break up Kodak’s monopoly.
“The people who were producing the cards had a particular image of beauty, captured in the Shirley card,” says Lorna Roth, a media professor at Canada’s Concordia University who has researched the history of Kodak’s Shirley cards.
“At the time, in the ’50s, the people who were buying cameras were mostly Caucasian people,” she says. “And so I guess they didn’t see the need for the market to expand to a broader range of skin tones.” According to Roth, the dynamic range of the film — both still photo stock and motion picture — was biased toward white skin.
In the mid-20th century, Kodak dismissed complaints from Black mothers about their colour film’s inability to properly capture dark skin tones in their children’s desegregated school photos, reflecting the broader societal biases of the time. It wasn’t until Kodak’s corporate clients—specifically furniture and chocolate companies—demanded better representation of dark hues for their products that Kodak began to address the issue. By the late 1970s, Kodak introduced a more inclusive film formulation, signalled subtly through marketing phrases such as the new film had the ability to take a picture of a “dark horse in low light.” This poetic phrase was code to signal that darker human skin could now be registered with this new film.
Image from book jacket for Now Is the Time: Integration in the Berkeley Schools by Neil Sullivan with Evelyn Steward, 1969
In 1978, the filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard famously refused to use Kodak film to shoot in Mozambique because he declared the film was racist. People also complained that photos of blacks and whites in the same shot would turn out partially under- or over-exposed.
In the 1970s, photographer Jim Lyon joined Kodak’s first photo tech division and research laboratories. He says the company recognized there was a problem with the all-white Shirley cards.
“I started incorporating black models pretty heavily in our testing, and it caught on very quickly,” he says. “It wasn’t a big deal, it just seemed like this is the right thing to do. I wasn’t attempting to be politically correct. I was just trying to give us a chance of making a better film, one that reproduced everybody’s skin tone in an appropriate way.”
By then, other film companies had their own versions of Shirley cards, and Kodak started making multiracial norm reference cards with Black, Asian, Latinx and white Shirleys. Then came digital photography. Kodak went bankrupt in 2012 and re-emerged as a much smaller technology company. By then, it had already stopped making Shirley cards.
References:
Pyne, B. and manager, R.P.L. general (2014). How Kodak’s Shirley Cards Set Photography’s Skin-Tone Standard. [online] NPR.org. Available at: https://www.npr.org/2014/11/13/363517842/for-decades-kodak-s-shirley-cards-set-photography-s-skin-tone-standard.
Lewis, S. (2019). The Racial Bias Built Into Photography. The New York Times. [online] 25 Apr. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/25/lens/sarah-lewis-racial-bias-photography.html.
Ramirez, A. (2020). How 20th Century Camera Film Captured a Snapshot of American Bias. [online] Time. Available at: https://time.com/5871502/film-race-history/.
www.berkeleyschools.net. (2018). 50th Anniversary of Berkeley’s Pioneering Busing Plan for School Integration | Berkeley Unified School District. [online] Available at: https://www.berkeleyschools.net/2018/12/50th-anniversary-of-berkeleys-pioneering-busing-plan-for-school-integration/.
This lead me to the Five Principles of Social Justice.
There are five main principles of social justice that are paramount to understanding the concept better. Namely, these are:
Access to resources
Equity
Participation
Diversity
Human Rights
Digital media has quickly become one of the most valuable mediums for fueling social justice reform, helping not only to inform the public but also incite steps towards making changes for good. By making smart use of the digital landscape, a rapidly-growing population of activists is completely changing the way the public perceives their role in social justice.
For many digital activists, the focus is to address the critical inequities in both access and representation. To achieve this, a new form of independent media has been born, giving social justice reform advocates a new way to communicate their vision to the public. Whether it’s through podcasting, vlogging, content creating, or other digital avenues, a new group of leaders have emerged with the goal of making the world a better place.
As a broadcast lecturer, it has dawned on me very quickly that if you are not in control of your visual representation, someone else who wont have your best interests at heart will.
Race itself is a divisive term. Some chose to believe they ignore it, others, like myself have no choice but to face it, it affects our lives daily based on the society or geographical location we find ourselves in.
In this clip, we see the ‘race walk’ a concept introduced earlier on in this very unit, highlighted amongst young children. The most interesting part of this clip is not the outcome but the comments. Statements such as “What I see in the video: Kids who use to get along and not care about race, have now been divided and started to resent each other. Great Job teachers!” garnering over 16 thousand likes, not only highlights the issue, but underlines the perception that racism isn’t there, inherent in society , but only is evident when used as a tool to oppose racism itself.
Orr, J. (2022) Revealed: The charity turning UK universities woke. The Telegraph [Online]
In contrast to The Channel Four video, James Orr’s piece (Orr, J. (2022) Revealed: The charity turning UK universities woke. The Telegraph) focuses on the alleged influence Advance HE has on promoting inclusivity and the need to address the existence of systematic racism in academic institutions. Orr’s tone and vernacular suggests Advance HE is pushing a WOKE agenda through its Athena Swan and the Race Equality Charter programmes.
Orr argues that these charters along with decolonising the curriculum will stifle debate, restrict syllabuses, and ultimately restrict freedom of speech.
As a journalism lecturer, the inequality, staged persona, and unbalanced structure of the piece sets out to only highlight his view without any reference or comment from Advance HE. Even the use of ethnic interviewees seemed contrived. The appearance of balance from the 2 young black ladies who supported the work, and the gentleman that corrected Orr on the true meaning of ‘Woke’ felt overshadowed and shoehorned in.
In my own personal experience, being Black and having lived through a government containing Rishi Sunak, Suella Braverman, Priti Patel, Kemi Banedoch and Kwazi Kwaten, the Zora Neale Hurston’s famous quote, “All skinfolk ain’t kinfolk” very much comes to mind.
From my point of view, this very video is almost an argument for the very existence of Advance HE. Orr’s argument is akin to the academic equivalent to the far right rioting to ‘Protect our Statues’ whilst urinating on them.
This recognition of resistance to change is also highlighted in Rhianna Garret’s paper ‘Racism shapes careers: career trajectories and imagined futures of minority PHDs in UK Higher Education’.
Garrett states that most UK universities began as religious or private foundations, with some Russell Group universities associated with elite social reproduction and served to educate colonial administrators (Holmwood 2018).
She counters Orr’s standpoint in this quote ‘Jones and Okun (2001) highlight the damaging norms whiteness creates, such as defensiveness to quell new ideas, conflating open conflict with being impolite, desire for individual competitive credit, and believing that those in power have a right to emotional and psychological comfort. These are all elements of what is considered to be a professional work environment, which is also a constructed identity that works to code and maintain the illusion of inclusion, but in reality, serves to preserve white, middle-class models of knowledge, expertise and value (Mukherjee 2022).’
In my conclusion, this is not so much of a reflection, but the very path I have to navigate every day. This post is supposed to be academic, but became personal because, as a black HE lecturer, this is my life. The classism-led racism that is shaping modern British society has to be fought by HE establishments any way it can. UAL’s approach to diversity and inclusion is not without its flaws, but it is something I want to wholeheartedly support.
My artefact I have created, is a staff-facing video entitled “Inclusive practices in the classroom”, which I plan to present at the upcoming UAL teaching conference.
As the current scope of introducing intersectionality is broad. After reviewing, it made sense to narrow it down to a singular, focused idea, which can still provide a rich and complex body of work. I decided on utilizing documentation as a method can enhance the project’s reach and impact. As my area of teaching is broadcast, I decided a video was the most compelling method.
It has been noted that higher education institutions have shown fundamental difficulties in managing commitments related to diversity policies. Despite the growing attention and mandate for institutional diversity policies, the implications seem more symbolic than effective for those who represent diversity. Many scholars, including myself have expressed their criticism, but no practical recommendations are forthcoming. UAL does have a
How does this fit with my positionality?
I believe that it is important that the university I represent and teach at, needs to provide an inclusive service/experience for students. This not based on policy but on learned experience and my own life. By simply turning up at work, I am embodying the universities policy of diversity.
I feel including intersectionality within my practice is especially important right now because research shows that interrupted learning during COVID-19 has affected student populations disproportionately: emergent bilingual students, students of colour, and students with disabilities all suffered from more unfinished learning during remote learning than their white, monolingual peers without disabilities. When seen through the lens of intersectionality, the negative impacts only compound for students who identify with more than one historically marginalized group.
In the context of race, in 22-23, there is greater Black, Asian and minority ethnic (B.A.M.E.) staff representation at UAL (24.8%) than the sector benchmark (16.2%)
But what the figures don’t tell is that I am only 1 of 3 black male lecturers on the payroll in The School of Media and Communications (Excluding HPL’s), and 1 of only 5 in LCF overall.
Knowing this, drives within me a personal goal of social justice, by trying address intersectionality where possible, by not only helping to provide a nurturing educational environment for all, but also realising and introducing representation of the world beyond university.
Intersectionality & Data
UAL has a large proportion (over a third), of students from Multicultural backgrounds, larger than the national average. In 2021-2022, BAME students accounted for 27% of the UK-domiciled student population at UUK member institutions. For UAL in 23/24 the figure was 34%.
The UAL Diversity and Inclusion report (2022/23) shows that 17% of students at UAL declared a disability. 29% of those home students, 14% EU 5% Int 52% unknown. CSM has the highest proportion of disabled students with 21%.
Attainment gap
There are far fewer students from Black and Other groups who achieve first and 2:1 qualification.
5% of UK University students have dyslexia (reported in 2018) and the numbers are on the rise. There is a big difference in attainment here too, between those with dyslexia, only 40% gain a 2:1 or above, whereas those without, the number is much higher at 52%. Byrne, C. (2018).
In the context of neurodiversity and disability, the social model approach suggests that our focus should be on offering accommodations, support, and improving aspects that may negatively affect an individual’s quality of life.
We should not be concentrating on preventing, normalising, or curing neurodiverse or disabled conditions.
This perspective contends that differing from the majority is not a deficiency.
Context
To best articulate a response to the task at hand, I divided the video into 4 sections.
The safe learning environment
Timetabling
The Lecture itself, including the use of assisted technology
The use of inclusive imagery & language
To best integrate inclusivity into a teaching practice, we will first look at the physical environment.
Can any student with a disability (Hidden or not) navigate around the classroom or lecture space where necessary?
Does the environment emit any noises or odour’s that neurodivergent students are sensitive to?
Is there anything on display that may be insensitive to a particular sub set of students?
Does the lecture take place around any calendared faith based holidays?
Will those students be late, tired or hungry?
Will they need any special allowances?
Can you summarise or prepare work for them where possible, to accommodate the timings of their faith-based events?
The Use of Assistive Technology
In today’s diverse and inclusive educational landscape, assistive technology has emerged as a powerful tool in fostering an inclusive classroom environment. By breaking down barriers and providing tailored support, assistive technology ensures that students with varying abilities can actively participate and thrive alongside their peers.
Some examples of assistive technologies include:
Text-to-Speech Software: These tools convert written text into spoken words, helping students with reading or visual impairments access and comprehend written content more effectively.
Speech Recognition Software: Speech recognition software allows students to dictate their thoughts and ideas, converting spoken words into written text. This technology supports students with difficulties in writing or typing.
Graphic Organizers and Mind Mapping Software: These tools help students organize their thoughts and visually represent information. They can be especially beneficial for learners with executive function challenges or those who benefit from visual representations of concepts. We currently use Miro across our teaching practice
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Devices: AAC devices assist individuals with communication impairments by enabling them to express themselves through symbols, pictures, or speech-generating devices. AAC tools are handy for students with speech and language disorders.
Electronic Braille Displays: Electronic Braille displays provide tactile feedback by transforming digital text into Braille characters. They are designed for students with visual impairments, allowing them to access digital content and participate in computer-based activities.
Assistive Listening Devices: These devices enhance sound quality and reduce background noise, benefiting students with hearing impairments. Assistive listening devices include personal FM, loop, and amplified classroom sound systems.
Adaptive Keyboards and Mouse Devices: These assistive technologies modify standard keyboards and mice, accommodating students with motor or physical disabilities. Examples include large-key keyboards, one-handed keyboards, or joystick-controlled mice.
Inclusive images intentionally include a variety of people and seek to portray people respectfully and disrupt stereotypes. In many cases, this means showing marginalized people in active, strong roles and not defaulting to showing those who have historically held power in society. For example, one study argues that photos of people in prison can contribute to stigma if the images contain “elements of unworthiness, unpleasantness and immutability” (Miranda and Machado, 2019).
When discussing the evaluation of an image’s suitability, the video focuses on a particular poster commissioned for the Red Cross in the USA. The Red cross safety poster, highlighting dos and don’ts actions for pool safety, showed four of the five actions labelled “Not cool” are done by Black children. In contrast, both “Cool” actions are done by White people. Again, this image, intended solely for public consumption, amplifies the wrong message.
In addition to evaluating each image on its own, it is also helpful to examine the entire project (e.g., book or article) to identify problematic patterns. For example, are images of people of colour, always shown in a less important sidebar instead of the main text?
Also, ensure that any objects of cultural or religious significance are treated respectfully and are appropriate for the context. I also highlighted in the video to take special considerations with illustrations, as cartoons and similar formats often contain stereotypes, which in the past have led to catastrophic events (BBC)
Inclusive language examples are those that ensure we are interacting and engaging with students in a sensitive and respectful way. The meaning of inclusive language in the classroom is about creating a sense of belonging for everyone regardless of their gender, age, ethnicity, sexuality, ability, religion or background.
Using inclusive language can help promote and embed equality, diversity and inclusion.
Inclusive language also allows all students to participate equally in opportunities.
Students can feel safe to express themselves freely without fear of being judged or rejected., Whereas, using exclusive language can alienate.
Finally, it is important to approach all students with patience and empathy.
Remember that every student is unique and has different strengths and challenges.
Take the time to understand their needs and work with them to create a personalised learning experience.
Actively listening to students, taking an interest in their perspectives, and providing opportunities for students to share their experiences and challenges are important factors in supporting them in the classroom.
Feedback
This is the way I usually construct my lessons, I did not get direct formalised feedback from the students, but my PRA states that ‘Emil remains positive, innovative and approachable lecturer and colleague’ which is an indication that my inclusive approach is having a positive effect on the students.
Further Reflection
On reflection, the above practices are just the start of integrating intersectional teaching into everyday practise. The vide would have benefitted from direct student voices, but due to the timing of the module, no students were available to be interviewed. Another missed element was the construction of presentations. There are methods, such as avoiding black text on a white background that are beneficial for dyslexia sufferers. There are even such fonts as ‘Open Dyslexic’ designed to assist with word recognition.
After having initial reservations for this unit, I have overall found it quite enjoyable. Although initially based on theory, it is my actual lived experience that has helped animate understanding of the texts and frameworks. If, from this artefact, I can improve the university experience for even just one student, it will be a personal success.
Bibliography:
Crenshaw, K. (1989) Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics. In University of Chicago Legal Forum. (1989 1:8)
Intersectionality, a term coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw, provides a crucial lens through which we can understand the multifaceted nature of identity. The subject of this outline is the introduction of intersectionality into my current teaching practise to elevate and create the optimum learning environment for all
Intervention
BAME academic and professional service staff are significantly under-represented, under-supported, and over-burdened in UKHE. Only 4.7% of Black academic staff are full professors, while 11% of white academic staff have risen to this highest academic rank, indicating that the sector is missing an estimated 300 Black professors (Morgan, 2020).
Being a black male lecturer in a creative space, representing those who look and sound like me has always been at the forefront of my teaching. I wish to expand this to other areas of intersectionality via the medium of broadcast journalism.
I feel including intersectionality within my practice is especially important right now because research shows that interrupted learning during COVID-19 has affected student populations disproportionately: emergent bilingual students, students of colour, and students with disabilities all suffered from more unfinished learning during remote learning than their white, monolingual peers without disabilities. When seen through the lens of intersectionality, the negative impacts only compound for students who identify with more than one historically marginalized group.
In the context of emergent bilingual students, we must consider how social aspects and classifications of identity—such as race, socioeconomic status, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, and immigration status, in addition to English language proficiency—impede students’ access to an equitable educational experience.
Applying an intersectional lens helps us view how multiple social classifications interconnect and create further inequities for already historically marginalized individuals. For example, for a Black Hispanic student who is also transgender, we can ask ourselves questions such as how race and gender identity, in conjunction with the student’s native and English language proficiency status, affect their school experiences. More importantly, we can critically examine how these slices of identity intersect to determine the student’s level of access to an equitable education and any outcomes, positive or negative, relative to the status quo.
For my methodology I will look at the benefits of practical methods such as assistive technology, timetabling, lecture structure, assessment methods as well as soft skills such as multiple languages, student visibility, conversational engagement with intersectionality and Inclusive language.
“If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for everything”
– Alexander Hamilton
Intersectionality, a term coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw, provides a crucial lens through which we can understand the multifaceted nature of identity. The subject of this blog is the aspect of faith within the framework of identity.
Understanding how faith intersects with other identity factors can offer deeper insights into the complex realities our students navigate daily.
Faith and race are deeply intertwined in many communities. For example, African American Christianity has been a source of both solace and resistance against systemic racism in the United States. Historically, Black churches have provided not just spiritual support but also social and political leadership, fostering a sense of community and resilience. This intersection of faith and race thus creates a distinctive identity where spiritual beliefs are inextricably linked with the struggle for racial justice and equality. In contrast, every slave plantation contained a Christian church where slaves were forced to attend every Sunday, in their ‘Sunday Best’. The churches, during this period, benefitted greatly from slavery. An excerpt from the NBC News website written in 2022, quotes:
“While Baptists in the South played the most vocal role in defending the institution of slavery before the Civil War, other denominations — including the Presbyterian Church, the Episcopal Church, the Lutheran Church and the Catholic Church — and other religious educational institutions all benefited from enslaved labor in some way. Whether it was members of the clergy or the churches themselves owning enslaved people, or the churches receiving taxes from congregants in the form of tobacco farmed by enslaved people, the wealth of the churches was deeply intertwined with the slave trade.”
However, this intersection can also result in unique forms of discrimination. For instance, as the article written by Haifaa Jawad states:
“The ‘Accept and Respect’ statement says: ‘Islam is an enabling religion that endorses women’s participation in physical activity.’ ¹
In order to arrive at that statement, it is important to see the view of the faith, the role of gender relations in Islam, and the effects on Muslim women and girls’ participation in the field of physical activity, because of the relative invisibility of Muslim women in major sporting competitions. This is due partly to social, political, economic, and educational factors”
I personally respect anyone’s faith, and this is borne of my own intersectionality of a black male 2nd generation immigrant born in the UK who separates the view of faith and religion. Faith is belief (which I feel everyone should have, even in a basic good vs evil perspective) whereas my personal reflection of religion is that it has been twisted into a man-made construct used to force a particular point of view
In Kwame Appiah’s Ted talk, he quotes the Dalai Lama as not believing in God, but also references his own Ghanaian upbringing and its mix of tradition and modern society as well as his own definition of a religious ‘matrix’, used to determine what are ‘true religions or not’
Analyzing faith through the lens of intersectionality reveals that religious identity cannot be understood in isolation from other aspects of identity.
‘how might the understanding and expression of religious knowledge depend on whatother points of difference one occupies, and how those identities shape one’s actual or perceived credibility? Might intersecting identities amplify undue burden in cases where expression of religious testimony is already challenging, as it seems to be in nonreligious spaces?’
She uses the example Sojourner Truth, the female, black, Christian abolitionist, to illustrate including faith in intersectionality. She is quoted stating
‘When we describe testimonies as narratives that focus only on race, or gender, particularly testimonies that also comment on issues of social justice, we miss what diverse perspectives can tell us about the religion that gives meaning to these social identities.’
Within my own teaching practise, I recognise my student’s faith and reflect the diversity of the student body in my teaching styles and methods. As noted in the video on “Challenging Race, Religion, and Stereotypes in Classroom” We analyse messages and delivery, rooting out dog whistles and rhetoric, especially in our study of journalism and the factual responsibility it carries.
Kimberlé Crenshaw’s theory of intersectionality underscores the importance of examining the interconnectedness of various identity factors. Faith, as a significant aspect of identity, interacts with race, gender, and socioeconomic status in complex ways. Recognizing these intersections allows for a more nuanced understanding of individual experiences and highlights the need for inclusive practices that acknowledge and address these multifaceted identities.
2 responses to “Intersectionality and Faith”
Keira Bradshaw Greene
I enjoyed your post Intersectionality and Faith, and found your paragraph around the function of Black churches, as both historically supportive and violent, fascinating and resonant. I was reminded of an artwork I saw at Gasworks in 2022 by artist and filmmaker Ufuoma Essi:
In this work Essi creates a filmic portrait of the Black church at the centre of community organising. The film itself was shown in an installation where the audience sat on church pews, situating us in a place of worship. For me this resulted in a sense of being both inside and outside of the subject matter of the work. I reflect on this now, and on your post, and think about the act of thinking critically (as we are asked to do here), as taking up a position between things, of being objective, with empathy, as Kwame Appiah’s talk demonstrates.
In the first image in your blog post I find the tear or divide between the two drawings incredibly powerful, as well as the sense of overlay, that it is important to think about the specific contexts of religion and how we receive our knowledge.
I have a complex relationship with religion (Catholicism) and I have recently made a film diving into my own family history. However, I am mindful not to bring my own relationship with religion into the classroom, and I wholeheartedly agree with you when you write Faith is belief. I find that working in an art school, there are numerous ways in which belief is represented and explored, and often these are non-verbal explorations and interrogations. Sometimes these artworks are a springboard for conversation about faith and sometimes not, or not yet…
Thanks Kiera, Ufuoma Essi’s piece linking the church & community experience in Philadelphia and her upbringing in South East London across the Atlantic seemed like a really interesting narrative!
The 3 videos above highlight the importance of recognizing these intersections and understanding how they contribute to systems of power and inequality. When we apply this framework to the realm of disability as referenced by Ade Adepitan, he goes on to describe a multifaceted landscape where disability intersects with race to create his distinct experiences and challenges, Christine’s experiences in the hearing world and Chey’s intersection of gender identity and mental health.
In the context of disability, this means that the experience of disability is not solely defined by one’s impairment but is deeply influenced by societies attitude to that impairment.
Ade mentions in the 80’s he initially faced discrimination that stemmed from the intersection of racism and ableism. He also mentioned barriers to employment and social inclusion such as access issues.
Che mentions the difficulties faced by his LGBTQ disabled friends & community gaining access to spaces deemed welcoming, even as so far as detailing a friend who has to carry a pint pot to urinate, just in case there aren’t any toilet facilities available.
Chey’s dive into intersectionality highlights the importance of recognizing both privilege and disadvantage within marginalized communities. While disability intersects with other identity factors to compound oppression for some individuals, it may also intersect with privilege for others. For instance, as chey is a ‘cis passing’ white man, he may experience certain advantages, such as greater access to resources and societal accommodations, compared to a disabled person from a marginalized racial or ethnic background.
As we know, Disability is not a monolith, and its impacts vary depending on factors such as impairment type, severity, age of onset, and cultural context. For example, the experiences of Christine Sun Kim navigating a hearing-centric world may differ significantly from those of Ade Adepitan confronting architectural barriers.
In analysing how disability intersects with other identity factors, the social model of disability comes into play. For example, Chey as a Neurodiverse transgender person may face discrimination not only based on their gender identity but also due to their mental health issues, leading to heightened vulnerability and exclusion.
Furthermore, As Ade points out, peoples lived experiences of intersectionality highlights the importance of inclusive and intersectional approaches to advocacy and policymaking. It would seem the common theme throughout the videos is, that inclusion first policies, are simply the right thing to do.
In my own teaching practice, I attempt to adopt methods of inclusion, I have a hearing-impaired student, so I wear a personal microphone for them. I also try to avoid black text on white backgrounds when presenting for those who might have scotopic sensitivity. This is not in reference to the UAL Data which admittedly until it was presented to me, I did not come across anywhere within in my practise.
In conclusion, Kimberlé Crenshaw’s theory of intersectionality offers a powerful lens through which to understand the complex interplay between disability and other identity factors.
Christine Sun Kim sums it up best by quoting a @novicsara tweet
“I can 100% promise you that learning sign language is easier than a deaf person learning to hear
2 responses to “Understanding Intersectionality: How Disability Intersects with Identity Factors”
Steven Johnson
I really appreciate how clear and concise you have made this subject – there are so many nuances with intersectionality that I have found it a steep learning curve, considering all the different factors which can contribute. I especially like your analysis of ‘Chey as a Neurodiverse transgender person may face discrimination not only based on their gender identity but also due to their mental health issues, leading to heightened vulnerability and exclusion’ and also the suggestion that ‘as Ade points out, peoples lived experiences of intersectionality highlights the importance of inclusive and intersectional approaches to advocacy and policymaking’ which suggests how we can move forward.
I am particularly interested in Christine Sun Kim’s experiences as a deaf person, as I am teaching in Open Spaces which are noisy and are also difficult to navigate visually due to the layout and large screens; it was apposite to read your comment about wearing a personal microphone for your hearing-impaired student and I would like to know more about how that works, if you can spare the time!
Thank you Stephen, I too found Christine Sun Kim’s experiences as a deaf person in the video compelling. Please feel free to contact me any time re the assistive hearing devices!
As part of our lecture on observations on teaching practice, I read the paper entitled ‘The reflection game: enacting the penitent self’ by Bruce Macfarlane a & Lesley Gourlay
Bruce Macfarlane & Lesley Gourlay (2009) The reflection game: enacting the penitent self, Teaching in Higher Education, 14:4, 455-459, DOI: 10.1080/13562510903050244
Is reflection in educational practice the academic equivalent of a game show? Bruce McFarlane seems to think so, although this article dates back to 2009, the very height of the reality show boom, it still contains pertinent points to pedagogy.
He states the intention of the article is to “open up a debate about the use of reflection in the assessment of students in higher education”.
What debate? My whole educational practice is driven by reflection. Are we giving our students the tools and knowledge they need and expect? I hope so.
To win at the ‘Reflection game’ McFarlane gives 3 tips:
Tip 1: eat humble pie
Reflective exercises impose certain expectations. The requirement for us to point out the failings in our practice, anxiety, talking at, rather than to, students and all the many perils and pitfalls the modern educator faces.
He then goes on to say…
Tip 2: revelation brings conversion.
“Through penitence comes learning” Your whole perspective on teaching is changed due to an interaction from a peer or mentor, or possibly the views of a student.
Espousing various ‘commitments’ evidences your ideological conversion: to encouraging ‘deep’ as opposed to ‘surface’ learning, to ‘andragogic’ principles, to widen participation, use e-learning in your teaching and, indeed, anything else that might currently be in vogue within your university’s strategic plan (insert flavour of month).
Bruce Macfarlane & Lesley Gourlay (2009) The reflection game: enacting the penitent self, Teaching in Higher Education
His final tip,
Tip 3: toe the line…or else!
Taking issue with any aspect of this conventional pot-pourri of received wisdom is a dangerous strategy.
Questioning the ‘Status Quo’ of learning, or being happy with your currently delivery, is seen as a ‘no no’.
The line that resonates with me the most is this:
“While learning and teaching certificates are often portrayed as independent postgraduate programmes, the reality is that many are ‘aligned’ very closely with institutional expectations. Passing the certificate (which is often a condition of your probation too) requires demonstration that you are ‘committed’ to the institution’s espoused values.”
As someone who screams non-academia, this is currently my path view.
Mcfarlane then goes on to state, from his own university experience has made him increasingly doubtful of the merits of imposing this particular form of assessment on students.
“It promotes conformism to a narrow set of values which are left unexamined and can also impact negatively on students from certain disciplines (and cultures) schooled to write in a more formal and technical manner. For these students a reflective style of writing – with the need to be personal and self-revelatory is essentially alien to their disciplinary discourse. This can result in a higher relative failure (or referral) rate among such groups. “
Mcfarlanes referenced and evidenced cynicism may have been relevant at the time but here is the kicker, at time of writing, university fees, at £3000, were 66% less than the £9000 plus that they are currently (2023). Relevant? Maybe. Pertinent, definitely.
A poll from the guardian in Aug 2022 stated that
‘The poll of nearly 1,500 adults found that just over half said the current level of fees in England and Wales was bad value for money, while only one in five said it was good value.
Graduates were more likely to agree than non-graduates, with 69% of graduates saying that £9,250 was bad value, compared with 47% of non-graduates.”
Lets be honest, reflection works, according to Anu Sööt and Ele Viskus:
“Developing students’ reflection on their learning is currently one of the major learning goals in higher education. Today’s students need to be prepared to function in the rapidly changing world of professional practice. In line with the above, reflection is currently a key concept in teacher education.”
The reality is, at this price, we are both educators and service providers. Our students have an expectation that we need to fulfil now more than ever. If our students want the reality show they have paid so highly to be a part of, we have no choice but to air it for them.
As part of the cross study Academic Practice Event Series 2022-23, we were tasked into looking at object based learning.
The pre-task involved watching a video from Judy Willcocks, Head of Museum & Study Collection at CSM.
Her presentation covered a number of areas around objects to support learning and teaching, how CSM first started its collection based on the statement that “aesthetic appreciation was a learned experience and gathering these objects would inspire a generation of makers who might go on to
challenge the perceived design hegemony of countries in mainland Europe” (J Willcocks – Youtube 2018)
She referenced the rise in Art History and Cultural Studies courses being undertaken in the 1970’s. She also reflected that Object based learning wasn’t sticking and wanted to put it at the heart of curriculum learning.
She also cited that OBL encourages the use of learning skills such as communication, Teamwork, Research and analysis. The haptic interaction leads to using objects as a focal point for learning awareness.
Some of the key changes to her practice came from:
Moving from the old building to the new Kings Cross campus, helping to break the connotations of old stuffy museums that didn’t attract the teen to 25 demographic wanted.
Her own educational journey by undertaking a postgraduate certificate in academic practice
Working with the University College of London who were beginning to unpick the possibilities of object based learning as an academic discipline within higher education
Collaborating with Graham Barton (UAL Centralised Academic Support Offer) to design deliver and evaluate object based learning sessions
Once the video was concluded, we were presented with another task. Watch a video of an object and describe our ‘emotional or extra rational’ feelings towards it.
The statements were broken down into further questions such as :
What is your immediate reaction to this object? Do you like it? Dislike it? Does it make you feel uncomfortable in any way? Or does it make you happy?’
Do you feel stimulated or aroused by your experience of engaging with this object? Can you explore what is going on in your body? Do you feel calm? Or is your heart rate increasing? What about your breathing? What does your bodily reaction reveal about what is going on in your mind.
What does this object remind you of? What else does it make you think of? Does it evoke positive of negative memories? And how does that influence the way you encounter the object?
What might it mean to you to be able to touch and hold this object? Do you think you would feel a connection with the maker or those who have used or viewed the object?
The object was a box created with folding paper covered in various statements which lead me to believe it was made by someone or various people in prison.
Fuxk the System
B@stards
Cell 2 is a Snitch
I am more than just a number.
Value me
Serving time to make you feel safer.
Following the questions, I immediately felt empathy. From the design of the box, the statement and even the font, my interpretation of the item constructed as a messaging device designed to signal the thoughts and raw emotions of the creator. Revealing more statements as it was opened, the direct references to being caged, the transference of frustration and longing for freedom were evident from just watching the video, something that could only be gleaned from the object and may have been lost within a myriad of words on a written report.
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