ERIC Number: EJ1180146
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018-Jun
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1938-8926
EISSN: N/A
Critical Reflections on the Interfaith Movement: A Social Justice Perspective
Edwards, Sachi
Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, v11 n2 p164-181 Jun 2018
There is a burgeoning interfaith movement in U.S. higher education, inspired, in large part, by global events, and aimed at promoting tolerance of religious diversity. While there are various supporting arguments and approaches to this type of student programming, social justice oriented approaches--that is, approaches specifically centered around addressing systemic oppression and uplifting marginalized perspectives--remain rare. This lack of critical social justice reflection in the interfaith movement puts institutions at risk of alienating and/or further marginalizing religious minorities, despite intentions to do otherwise. In this article, I describe the current trends in the interfaith movement, reflect on them from a critical social justice standpoint, and envision a future for the movement that is more inclusive of, and attentive to, religious minorities. Specific critiques from a social justice perspective include (a) the lack of overt examinations of power dynamics and Christian privilege, (b) the tendency to ignore the sociocultural nature of religious identity, and (c) the frequent exclusion of non-Abrahamic religious groups.
Descriptors: Social Justice, Higher Education, Religious Cultural Groups, Minority Groups, Power Structure, Trend Analysis, Intergroup Relations, Futures (of Society), Disadvantaged, Alienation, Risk, Prosocial Behavior, Criticism, Christianity, Sociocultural Patterns, Service Learning, Dialogs (Language), Social Bias, College Students
American Psychological Association. Journals Department, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002. Tel: 800-374-2721; Tel: 202-336-5510; Fax: 202-336-5502; e-mail: order@apa.org; Web site: http://www.apa.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A