While faith doesn’t occupy the forefront of my thinking as someone without religious beliefs, my perspective has been significantly shaped by my upbringing in a traditional Catholic school where religious doctrine was strictly enforced. This experience has left me with limited patience for religious proselytizing, though it hasn’t diminished my capacity for respect and empathy toward others’ spiritual journeys.
As Jawad (2022) notes, “The significance of religious belief in people’s lives should not be underestimated.” Appiah’s exploration in “Is religion good or bad?” shines light on how faith encompasses diverse beliefs and practices. His examples of libation rituals and ancestral communication demonstrate how certain religious practices become seamlessly integrated into daily consciousness, influencing “every time they do anything” (TED, 2014, 12:01).
This integration of belief into daily life connects to Dunn and McKeown’s 2021 research on ethical veganism and vegetarianism as deeply held philosophical positions deserving protection. Their work highlights how non-religious convictions can hold profound personal importance, comparable to religious faith.
The UAL experience intersects inevitably with matters of faith, particularly given that 29% of UAL students identify with a religion or belief system (UAL, 2023). Students may practice various religions to different degrees or hold non-religious beliefs that fundamentally shape their educational journey.
Despite this significant presence of faith on campus, I feel inadequately prepared to address faith-related concerns in my technical role at UAL. Beyond directing students to the university’s Chaplaincy services or their tutors for pastoral support, technical staff receive minimal guidance regarding our responsibilities in this area. This institutional gap likely contributes to widespread hesitation among staff about engaging with religious topics—potentially missing opportunities to address microaggressions or incorporate diverse religious perspectives into academic discourse.
As a specialist technician, my position doesn’t involve scheduling around religious holidays, managing potentially discriminatory admissions processes, or accommodating religious observances in assessments (Advance HE, 2018). Though students occasionally incorporate faith elements into their projects, my limited involvement in tutorials means I rarely learn about their spiritual beliefs. Despite my genuine empathy for religious students’ needs and potential frustrations with institutional support limitations, my day-to-day work offers limited agency to address these important concerns.
Advance HE, (2018) Religion and belief: supporting inclusion of staff and students in higher education and colleges. Advance HE.
Dunn, R. and McKeown, P. (2021) ‘A ‘Life-Style Choice’ of a Philosophical Belief?: The Argument for Veganism and Vegetarianism to be a Protected Philosophical Belief and the Position in England and Wales’, Liverpool Law Review, 42, pp. 207-241
Jawed, H. (2022) Islam, Women and Sport: The Case of Visible Muslim Women. Available at: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/religionglobalsociety/2022/09/islam-women-and-sport-the-case-of-visible-muslim-women/ (Accessed: 08/05/2025)
TED (2014) Kwame Anthony Appiah: Is religion good or bad? (This is a trick question). Uploaded 16/06/2014. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2et2KO8gcY (Accessed: 08/05/2025)
University of the Arts London (2023) Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Annual Report 2022/2023. Available at: https://www.arts.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/432141/SPCB23435-EDI-report-2022-23.pdf (Accessed: 12/05/2025)
2 replies on “Intersectionality: Religion-Belief-Faith”
Thank you for your honest reflection, it really resonated with me. Like you, I don’t follow a religion myself, but I have grown up around a mix of beliefs within my family and community, which has helped me develop a broad appreciation for different spiritual perspectives.
I also really value your openness about the limitations of your role when it comes to supporting students around faith. It’s clear that you bring empathy and thoughtfulness to your work, and I imagine that even small actions (like creating quiet, respectful spaces or sharing observations with academic staff) can make a meaningful difference.
I’d like to join Charlie in saying how refreshing your honest reflection was—it really resonated with me as someone who also doesn’t follow a religion. I appreciate that you acknowledge your empathy towards students of faith, and by doing so, you’re also clearly stating your positionality in relation to the subject.
That said, I found myself reflecting a bit differently on the second part of your argument. In an ideal world, perhaps we wouldn’t need to consider students’ religious beliefs at all. But in reality, religion—like other identity markers—is still a frequent cause of discrimination. So even if we’re not directly involved in scheduling or administrative tasks as technicians, I think the PGCert offers a valuable invitation to question how our roles intersect with these concerns.
Your post prompted me to think about how some forms of exclusion can become invisible when they don’t intersect with our own experience. As you pointed out, religion hasn’t necessarily been a focus in our technical roles—but perhaps it should be considered with the same attentiveness as other forms of exclusion, regardless of our personal beliefs. I really appreciated that your post opened up this space for discussion and reflection.