Faith and Intersectionality in Higher Education
Using Kimberlé Crenshaw’s theory of intersectionality helps us understand how faith interacts with other identity markers like race, gender, and class to shape people’s lived experiences, often in ways that are misunderstood or marginalised in higher education. Faith is frequently sidelined in universities, assumed to be private or irrational. But as Rekis (2023) argues, this contributes to “epistemic injustice”, especially when religious worldviews are excluded from classroom discourse. Rekis’s essay highlights how religious belief is often sidelined within the academy, particularly when it intersects with racialised and gendered identities.
This exclusion is especially visible when faith intersects with race and gender. For instance, Jawad’s (2006) shows how Muslim women often navigate complex negotiations around dress codes and public visibility, facing both gendered and racialised Islamophobia in public spaces. Their identities are rarely seen as fully compatible with “modern” or “liberal” values, which highlights the limited way Muslim women may be perceived not just through the lens of gender or religion alone, but through a racialised, Western framing that casts them as “oppressed” or “other”.
Similarly, in the Trinity University (2016) video Black Christian students may find their faith dismissed as anti-intellectual, particularly when tied to cultural expressions of belief. His experience reflects how racial and religious identities interact to shape the burdens of respectability and legitimacy in HE spaces. These intersecting identities create unique challenges that are often overlooked when religion is treated as a neutral or optional category
At UAL, students come from diverse faith backgrounds, yet the studio and classroom culture can unintentionally exclude religious practices like fasting, prayer, or wearing religious dress. These acts of faith can clash with creative spaces that often centre secular norms and see religion as private or even problematic. UAL’s EDI data shows underrepresentation of some religious groups in leadership and lower satisfaction among students of certain faiths, indicating deeper issues of misrecognition and belonging. When faith is treated as incompatible with creativity or academic rigor, students may feel pressure to hide parts of their identity.
Recurring themes in the literature include invisibility and epistemic exclusion but also calls for decolonial approaches that validate faith as a meaningful way of knowing. If we’re serious about inclusion, we must move beyond token accommodations to fully integrate diverse religious perspectives into our teaching, dialogue, and community life.
bell hooks reminds us that “there can be no love without justice,” and that education must be a space where all identities are not just tolerated but affirmed. Her vision of a radical, inclusive classroom calls us to hear marginalised voices and build communities that reflect the full humanity of each learner.
This has deeply shaped how I think about classroom discussions, especially when students bring faith into conversations around gender or identity. In the past, I’ve sometimes redirected these moments back to a supposedly “neutral” or “secular” frame. But intersectionality reminds us that neutrality is a myth; it often just masks dominant norms. I’m learning to create more intentional space for faith in my pedagogy, not only through accommodation, but by recognising religious perspectives as valid, critical contributions. Decoloniality demands a pluralisation of knowledge, and faith is a vital part of how many students understand and engage with the world.
References
Crenshaw, K. (1989) “Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex.” A Black feminist critique of antidiscrimination doctrine, feminist theory and antiracist politics. University of Chicago Legal Forum, P 139-167
hooks, b. (1994) Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom. New York: Routledge.
hooks, b. (2000) All About Love: New Visions. New York: William Morrow.
Jawad, H. (2022) “Islam, Women and Sport: The case of the visible Muslim Women” LSE (blogs.lse.ac.uk)
Rekis, M. (2023) “Religious identity and epistemic injustice – an intersectional account. Cambridge University Press
Trinity University (2016) “Challenging Race, Religion and stereotypes in the Classroom” (YouTube). (3 mins)
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This was a powerful entry, and really got to the crux of the problem with the academy, particularly the statement: ‘intersectionality reminds us that there is no neutrality, only dominant norms’. It seems to question all the beliefs I have about teaching. Thank you for highlighting the lack of leadership from religious backgrounds, it seems like an area that is clearly missing representation. I guess we are only at the tip of the iceberg of what is missing in the university. Your note about religious practices being excluded from the classroom and studio is an important point: are there prayer rooms in the school (not sure if you can answer that)? I was wondering what kinds of time/space there is for religious students? And what would you implement knowing all of this now?
Thanks so much Christin, as a HPL without much institutional power, I recognise that inclusion can’t always be addressed through structural changes, but ideally, I would like to create more space for religious expression in the classroom. While UAL does actually provide prayer and quiet rooms, I’d like to better support students by opening up dialogue around faith, encouraging flexibility where possible, and being more mindful of how secular assumptions can shape our teaching. I may not be able to change timetables or policies, but I can work toward a learning environment where faith is acknowledged as a valid and valuable part of students’ identities.
Romany, I found this to be a very well constructed and succinct blog. It was shocking to read that students with faith were dismissed as being anti-intellectual. It made me reflect on the course that I run, and while not perfect, we certainly welcome students to create work that explores their faith, as well as heritage, diasporic experiences, gender, etc. The reason I say this is that I think there is positive change happening, and that students are building the confidence to bring these aspects of their identity into the creative space. However, as you eloquently point out, much more needs to be done to decolonise the curriculum and the environment at UAL.
Thanks Danny, that’s really encouraging to hear, and I agree, while there’s movement in the right direction, there’s still a long way to go to fully open up creative spaces to all identities and perspectives
Really well thought through post Romany, it really highlights how dominant academic norms often exclude cultural expressions of belief. I really appreciated your own reflection on your practice and ways of thinking. The topic of ‘neutrality’ is important and I’m enjoying learning more about it through my peers posts and reflections.
Thanks Ellie, reallly appreciate your comments
Romany, this is a great blog post. I found your comment ‘neutrality is a myth; it often just masks dominant norms’ as particularly poignant, alongside your note about the work of decoloniality as valuing plural views.
I was at a conference a few years ago and a Muslim woman shared her experience with speaking with white women of no visible faith: ‘they only listen when I bash my culture’. This was troubling to hear, and resonates with your comment that Western framing casts religious women as “oppressed” or “other”.
Your use of bell hooks to remind us that justice is linked to love brings hope.
Thanks for sharing this Hannah, it really deepens the conversation. That reflection from the conference is powerful and painful, and it reinforces how urgently we need to create spaces where faith, culture, and identity aren’t flattened or judged against dominant norms, but genuinely listened to and valued