Art and stories of social justice identity development from white, christian women offer Insights for a Social Justice Education for Young People

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Amy Gardner Harlee (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Advisor
Leila Villaverde

Abstract: This is an arts-informed social inquiry that uses expressive arts and experiential learning modalities to explore the transformational stories of small group of White, privileged women at Green Street United Methodist Church, a multicultural church committed to the work of social justice, for the purposes of uncovering how they came to develop a commitment to social justice. The expressive arts inquiry was done during two group sessions during which the group focused on two specific questions: 1) How did each of these women come to develop a social justice identity? and 2) Why do they choose to be members of Green Street UMC with its mission for justice and healing in the world? This study presents an education towards a commitment to social justice as one that allows the student to learn about social justice and to find ways to work for social justice. It is reflective and active. It embodies intellectual, emotional and spiritual aspects of epistemology and ontology. It happens on individual, relational and communal levels. It is grounded in a critical/feminist theoretical framework of transformative identities and identifications, relational learning, and beloved community. The goal of the study is to use the data gathered to support a critical pedagogy for social justice identity development.

Additional Information

Publication
Dissertation
Language: English
Date: 2013
Keywords
Arts-informed Inquiry, Critical Pedagogy, Feminism, Identity Development, Social Justice, Spirituality
Subjects
Social justice
Religion and justice
Arts and society
Christian sociology
Arts and religion

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