Kimberlé Crenshaw’s intersectionality theory explains that different parts of who we are—our faith, race, gender, class—combine to shape our lived experiences in complex and unique ways. Faith doesn’t exist in isolation, it intersects with other identity factors, often amplifying unique challenges, but also offering strength and resilience.
Race and faith come together to shape how we are treated and perceived. A Black Muslim woman, for instance, might experience discrimination not only because of her race, but also due to stereotypes about Islam, and the gender roles within her faith. This triple-layered identity creates barriers that can’t be fully understood if examined in isolation (Crenshaw, 1991).
Jaclyn Rekis explores how religious people experience epistemic injustices shaped by the intersections of religion, race, gender, and secularism. She writes about the stereotyping of veiled Muslim women and the neglect of voices like Sojourner Truth. She argues that intersectionality is necessary to fully respect and understand someones lived experience. “When we conflate two or more of these social identities, we wrongly assume we understand how they intersect” (Rekis, 2023, p. 789).
Kwame Anthony Appiah explains that religion isn’t one single, fixed thing. He believes that it’s a mix of different practices and beliefs that change depending on culture and community. He highlights how religion can bring people together and create a sense of belonging and support. In today’s world, where connection can feel hard to find, these shared beliefs and rituals are important to help people feel seen and supported.
‘There’s a guy talking to a rabbi. The rabbi says he doesn’t believe in God. The guy says ‘’you’re a rabbi, how can you not believe in God?’’ and the reply is, ‘’it’s what’s so great about being Jewish. You don’t have to believe in a god per se, just in being Jewish.’
(Appiah, 2014)
Intersectionality explains that support for the students can’t be one-size-fits-all. A Sikh woman’s experience will differ greatly from a Jewish man’s, especially when layered with race, class, or other identity factors. Understanding these nuanced intersections is essential for building empathy and meaningful support systems, to ensure every student’s best chance of success.
UAL’s dashboard data shows a diverse student body where faith, race, gender, and class often intersect. This requires flexibility in my teaching practice, including:
- Recognising religious holidays.
- Consulting the UAL religious holiday calendar and accommodating absences.
- Ensuring students who miss class have access to workshop materials and catch-up support.
- Avoiding drawing attention to absences.
Fig 1. University of the Arts London: Active Dashboard . Fashion Programmes. Religion. (2024-2025)
Fig.2 : University of the Arts London : Active Dashboard. BA Fashion Contour. Religion. (2024-2025)
Beyond the practical, creating an inclusive learning environment means allowing students to bring their whole selves into the classroom without fear of judgment. Crenshaw’s explains that identities are interconnected, not separate. Faith shapes how people experience and move through the world, and recognising this is essential for equality.
As a white, agnostic woman, I recognise that faith does not carry social weight in my own intersectionality—this is a privilege. I’m always curious and open to learning about my students’ faiths and experiences, and I work to ensure that they feel safe, respected, and fully seen in the classroom.
“If we can try to understand where people are coming from with empathy… that allows us to engage with difference in a way that is constructive, rather than destructive.” (Trinity University, 2016)
Bibliography
Appiah, K.A. (2014) Is religion good or bad? (This is a trick question). TED. Available at: Kwame Anthony Appiah: Is religion good or bad? (This is a trick question) (Accessed 6 Jun. 2025).
Crenshaw, K. (1991) Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence against Women of Color. Stanford Law Review, 43(6), pp.1241–1299. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/1229039 [Accessed 6 Jun. 2025].
Rekis, J. (2023) Religious Identity and Epistemic Injustice: An Intersectional Approach. Hypatia, 38(4), pp.779–800. Available at: https://philarchive.org/rec/REKRIA [Accessed 6 Jun. 2025].
Trinity University (2016) Challenging Race, Religion, and Stereotypes in Classroom. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CAOKTo_DOk [Accessed 6 Jun. 2025].
Image Bibliography
Figure 1. UAL Dashboard Data. London College of Fashion, Fashion Programmes. Student Profiles, Religion. Available at: https://dashboards.arts.ac.uk/dashboard/ActiveDashboards/DashboardPage.aspx?dashboardid=5c6bb274-7645-4500-bb75-7e334f68ff24&dashcontextid=638892456346570261 (Accessed: 4 June 2025).
Figure 2. UAL Dashboard Data. London College of Fashion, BA Fashion Contour. Student Profiles, Religion. Available at: https://dashboards.arts.ac.uk/dashboard/ActiveDashboards/DashboardPage.aspx?dashboardid=5c6bb274-7645-4500-bb75-7e334f68ff24&dashcontextid=638892456346570261 (Accessed: 4 June 2025).
This is a clear and compassionate analysis of the theories that seek to understand how faith and no faith plays a part in our student’s experience and view of the world. You identify some clear ways that we can be sensitive to the effect this may have on a student’s learning experience and how it intersects with other barriers they face, but it is lovely to see you note positive aspects to belief too. It would be interesting to know if this has been a part of your teaching already. Are there are any aspects to studying fashion contour that relate to faith – such as concepts of modesty – that might prompt discussion with this focus?
Hi Jess
Thankyou very much for your lovely comment.
That’s a very interesting question, thankyou. Currently I do my best to ask students to let us know if they might miss class, due to ill health or religious occasions etc, but I try not to ask them why they might be missing class. By knowing they will be absent it allows me to prepare a ‘catch up pack’ for them.
In terms of modesty, you are right it could very easily be a barrier, but if they have signed up to the BA Fashion Contour course, then they are already well prepared to know that this will mean we will speak about bodies, female / male form, and there will be lots of research into lingerie outfits. However, its very easy for me to presume that students with faith may be comfortable with this, so I am going to ensure that in all of our health and safety inductions at the start of block one, we mention about consent, and what we may need to speak about, and that if any students wish to speak with me privately regarding making accommodations I will be happy to do so.
I am not involved in the fitting and toiling process, but we hire fitting models and do not ask students to model their garments. If they wish to use themselves as their fitting model, this is fine, we are happy for them to do so, but we ensure there are screens for privacy.
This is a very articulate, well-structured response to the blog task on Faith. You have embedded and analysed your research to inform, and you remain curious and open to discussion/debate on faith. You have clearly understood that within our practice by recognising the intersectionality of our students is key to inclusivity and equality in our teaching spaces.
Hi Sarah,
Thank you for your very kind comment. 🙂
There is always more to learn and I love to stay curious and speak with students regarding their faith if they feel comfortable doing so. I love to learn about my students faith, and how it sculpts their proportionality and intersectionality, and through doing so I get the privilege of knowing them better.