I was pleasantly surprised and engaged by this UAL resource. I am interested by how often student work is based around ideas of religion belief and faith, though it is often very coded or disguised, it would be interesting to look at why students want to explore these topics but are somehow reticent or embarrassed about openly discussing. I thought the case studies were particularly relevant to my own teaching practice, finding ways to engage students in discussions about their identities but maintaining a safe space where students don’t feel pressured to disclose their private opinions is interesting to me. I liked the Travelling Cultures idea of ‘reflecting on the notion of culture and identity as fluid’ I know the ideas I had as a student have changed and adapted over my lifetime. Pen portraits an icebreaker will be very helpful when talking to students about the Artefact Workshop I am planning to run, normalising questions like do you have a faith? by putting them next to questions like what’s in your fridge? Is a good way of reducing any pressure and maintaining a safe space.
Dress, Politics and belonging post-Brexit at Asia House was a fascinating panel discussion, but I did feel disheartened that the speakers are still largely concluding that men use religion and religious identifying dress as a way to control and subjugate women. I am usually the only male person in a workshop of women some of whom are religiously or ethnically marked by their clothes, headscarves for example. I have a responsibility to make the workshop a safe and friendly space for all students accessing the space.