ERIC Number: ED471835
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2002-May
Pages: 7
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Bridging Across Disciplines: Understanding the Connections Between Cultural Identity, Spirituality and Sociopolitical Development in Teaching for Transformation.
Tolliver, Derise; Tisdell, Elizabeth J.
Various disciplinary perspectives can help in understanding relationships among cultural identity, spirituality, and sociopolitical development and their role in teaching for transformation. Educators must consider how the spirituality omnipresent in the learning environment informs emancipatory education. Cultural identity development is coming to know self as expression of Spirit; oppression causes limited perceptions of self; as people remember their spiritual essence, they can withstand oppression and be motivated to support social transformation. Adult education discourses on social transformation have a potential connection to spirituality issues; those on transformative learning attend to spirituality's role and connection to culture. Discourses on challenging power relations of interest in social transformation are feminist and critical pedagogy, critical multiculturalism, resistance postmodernism, and African-centered perspectives. Liberation theology and spiritual and religious pluralism are movements in religious and spiritual traditions concerned with social justice and transformation issues challenging power systems. Emancipatory spirituality deals with justice issues challenging systems of oppression grounded in spiritual commitment. Encompassing critical thinking and psychological empowerment, sociopolitical development is transformational, with spirituality critical to liberation activity. By exploring work of these disciplinary fields and integrating it with their field, adult educators may be able to further develop existing theory resulting in more relevant, effective practice for social change. (41 references) (YLB)
Descriptors: Activism, Adult Education, Afrocentrism, Black Power, Critical Thinking, Cultural Awareness, Cultural Pluralism, Dissent, Educational Theories, Empowerment, Ethnicity, Individual Development, Interdisciplinary Approach, Postmodernism, Power Structure, Racial Identification, Social Action, Social Change, Social Development, Spirituality, Theory Practice Relationship, Transformative Learning
Adult and Community College Education, Box 7801, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7801 ($30). For full text: http://www.ncsu.edu/ced/acce/aerc/start.pdf.
Publication Type: Information Analyses; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A