Faith is often an under-acknowledged presence in higher education, particularly in creative disciplines where rational critique and visual literacy are emphasised over personal belief systems. Yet, religious identity continues to shape how students navigate academic spaces—how they speak, listen, dress, represent, and choose what to disclose. In design education, where communication is both medium and message, understanding how faith intersects with other identity markers such as race, class, gender, or migration background is vital to creating inclusive learning environments. Reflecting on my teaching at UAL, I’ve become increasingly aware of how complex and often invisible these intersections can be.
Though religion and spirituality are not always explicitly present in students’ visual outputs, they often shape implicit values, aesthetic sensibilities, and ethical priorities. For example, discussions around symbolism, colour, or gesture often reveal underlying cultural codes tied to belief systems. One student once hesitated to depict a human figure in a poster design, and in our conversation, it became clear that this choice was shaped by a religious upbringing that discouraged idolatry. Such moments underline how vital it is to acknowledge and create space for faith-based perspectives, even when they do not immediately announce themselves in a secular academic setting.
In the UK, UAL’s student population is religiously diverse, yet the institutional environment often frames faith as a private or secondary concern. Jawad’s (2022) article on visible Muslim women in sport highlights how the intersection of gender, religion, and public visibility leads to complex negotiations of identity. Although her context is sport, the same applies in design education, where faith-based modesty, silence, or symbolism may be misinterpreted as disinterest or passivity by tutors unfamiliar with such perspectives. Crenshaw’s framework asks us to resist such flattening. We must remain aware that visible (and invisible) religious identities intersect with ethnicity, gender, and language to shape how students experience inclusion—or exclusion—in the classroom.
Reki’s (2023) writing on epistemic injustice is particularly relevant here. Religious students may feel that their modes of knowledge—ritual, silence, or oral tradition—are discounted in an academic environment that privileges secular, rationalist critique. This leads to what Reki terms “testimonial quieting,” where students self-censor for fear of being misunderstood or dismissed. During the feedback sessions, I now ask not just what is being communicated, but how and why—inviting alternative epistemologies into the room.
My own cultural background—as someone raised in post-socialist China where Buddhism was often repressed or politicised—makes me sensitive to the tensions between faith and state-sanctioned education. Religion was historically framed as an obstacle to progress, and this legacy shapes how some East Asian students approach spiritual topics: with caution, indirectness, or internal conflict. I don’t position this experience at the centre of my pedagogy, but it informs my alertness to the silences in the room—the things that are felt but not spoken.
Ultimately, a pedagogy informed by intersectionality is one that remains attuned to both voice and silence, visibility and absence. In doing so, we open a space in design education where faith is not “othered,” but held as one of many intersecting forces shaping who we are and how we create.
Bibliography:
Crenshaw, K., 1990. Mapping the margins: Intersectionality, identity politics, and violence against women of color. Stanford Law Review, 43(6), pp.1241–1299.
Reki, J., 2023. Religious identity and epistemic injustice: An intersectional account. Hypatia, 38, pp.779–800.
Appiah, K.A., 2014. Is religion good or bad? (This is a trick question). [online video] TEDx Talk. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2et2KO8gcY
Nanbu, H., 2008. Religion in Chinese education: from denial to cooperation. British Journal of Religious Education, 30(3), pp.223–234.
Cottingham, J., 2005. The spiritual dimension: Religion, philosophy and human value. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Jawad, H., 2022. Islam, women and sport: The case of visible Muslim women. LSE Religion and Global Society. [online] Available at: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/religionglobalsociety/2022/09/islam-women-and-sport-the-case-of-visible-muslim-women/
Pew Research Center, 2023. Government policy toward religion in the People’s Republic of China – a brief history. [online] Available at: https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2023/08/30/government-policy-toward-religion-in-the-peoples-republic-of-china-a-brief-history/
Trinity University, 2016. Challenging race, religion, and stereotypes in the classroom. [online video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CAOKTo_DOk
A really measured, balanced and thoughtful piece of writing. Drawing on Crenshaw’s framework and personal experience offers us a nuanced and intersectional lens to think with you through.
I find your reminder to be alert to ‘silences in the room’ particularly helpful as I navigate my own relationship to faith in the classroom. As someone who was raised atheist, I can definitely be obtuse to these undercurrents.
Your argument that secular learning is often thought of as rational resonates, and I appreciate your reflections on the importance of enabling diverse epistemologies and systems of knowledge within learning.