Making sense of spirituality in our academic lives through co-mentoring

ABSTRACT

In this paper, we utilize a blended conceptual framework based on spirituality, endarkened feminist epistemology, and feminist co-mentoring that draws upon dialogue from a Freirean perspective to inform our inquiry. In our analysis, we sought to respond to the question: How does spirituality inform the work we do as Black women faculty? We engaged in spirituality focused, co-mentoring dialogues and embraced a collaborative autoethnography research design that involved individual writing, dialogue, reflection, and sharing and meaning making. Through these processes we came to articulate our individual definitions of spirituality and made sense of how spirituality informs our way of being and knowing in the academy. We experienced spirituality as a means to heal self and others, and as a source of resistance and courage.

KEYWORDS:

• Black women
• mentoring
• spirituality
• higher education
• endarkened feminist epistemology
• gender

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Christine W. Nganga

Christine Nganga is an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership at George Washington University in the USA. Her teaching and research interests include leadership practice with a social justice and equity focus, narrative inquiry, and mentoring theory and practice.

Makini Beck

Makini Beck is an Assistant Professor in the School of Individualized Study and the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the Rochester Institute of Technology in the USA. She focuses her academic inquiry on immigrant women teachers in the USA, and mentoring women of color in higher education.

Joyanne De Four-Babb

Joyanne De Four-Babb is an independent service provider who serves as a Lecturer in the Faculty of Education and Arts at the University of Belize. Joyanne’s research focuses on identity development and peer mentoring among women faculty.