Spirituality And Tertiary Education In West Africa

This study is on aspects of formal tertiary education and students’ learning, especially a critical examination of factors that affect the attitudes and moral behaviours of university students towards learning and the possibility of spirituality as a source of sustainable motivation for students’ learning in Njala University, Sierra Leone.

This study is on aspects of formal tertiary education and students' learning, especially a critical examination of factors that affect the attitudes and moral behaviours of university students towards learning and the possibility of spirituality as a source of sustainable motivation for students' learning in Njala University, Sierra Leone. Mary Chinelo Eriken is a Missionary Sister of the Holy Rosary. She was a lecturer at Njala University for eight years.

Knowledge and Decolonial Politics: A Critical Reader offers the perspectives of educators and learners within current developmental settings, highlighting the dominance of Western epistemologies in ‘academic knowledge making’, and the systemic barriers faced whilst trying to implement decolonial practices.

In the era of globalization debate has turned to the vital need for a thorough understanding of its impact on the spirituality and health of the youth of today. Spiritual Education in a Divided World recognises the urgent need for effective research in this area. This exceptional volume takes an interdisciplinary approach to tackle the key question

Spirituality, education and society: An integrated approach argues the value of spirituality in education as a way to address the lived experiences and personal knowledge of students, with the goal of creating a more holistic, transformative educational process. This edited volume has a wide array of viewpoints which all point to the importance of spirituality in the authors’ personal lives, their communities and society at large. Spirituality is conceptualised as a base from which to challenge dominant forms of knowing, while in the process being able to center and engage with an important aspect of the student that has been missing from current evaluations – their spiritual selves.Within the diversity of this volume it becomes evident that spirituality cannot be confined to a singular definition and that educators must be willing to create spaces to foster spiritual growth and exploration if we are to break away from the commoditized, disempowering system that is so dominant today. This edited collection is a valuable resource for students, practitioners, educators and administrators who wish to engage in transformational schooling. Its multidisciplinary approach engages ideas around critical pedagogy, sociology of education, and inclusive schooling. There is an increasing need for exploring novel paradigms of studying education in the context of the dynamics that straddle social, economic and technological processes that have come to characterize the world in recent years. This book is a timely contribution in this respect as its focus transcends hitherto applied approaches that depend largely on western orientation. The book breaks new grounds in studying education and society that find significant relevance in societies that are marginalized by the dominant western understanding. The authors draw from the rich heritage of spirituality that is akin to the non-western social paradigms to develop a rigorous but creative concept of schooling. I am sure practitioners, researchers and students of education will find it a valuable source of practical and theoretical information that would widen their horizon of understanding of sociology of education. - Tom Mongare Ndege, PhD, Moi University, Kenya The editors have compiled a brilliant collection of essays. Each piece of scholarly work shows how spirituality is a paramount part of our everyday lives and is connected to teaching, learning, living and healing. This is a timely and most relevant work that is sure to spur critical dialogue and discussion. This collection shows that while the spirit may be wounded it can never be broken. - Erica Neeganagwedgin, PhD, University of Toronto

This volume comprises case studies of five centuries of European encounters with and imaginations of Africa encompassing her triple religious heritage: African Traditional Religions, Christianity and Islam. The introductory chapters outline the challenges and present overviews; some of them also analyze the early accounts of European travelers and missionaries. The following contributions examine the lasting legacy of the European Enlightenment in employing an ambivalent language of human equality and universalism, while in actual fact consigning Africa to an inferior position. It has been difficult for western scholars to divorce themselves wholly from the perceptions thus established. However, there have been quite different approaches. This is indicated in the papers discussing the role and impact of influential European academics (scholars of religion, theologians, historians and social scientists) during the colonial and postcolonial period. Other contributions examine specific institutional centers of African religious studies in Europe. The concluding chapters critically assess European approaches and their use for the study of religion in Africa from an African perspective.

The purpose of the book is to provide a collection of perspectives from various parts of Africa on what scholars in religion studies are currently engaged with, whether it refers to topics or methodology. Each chapter is written from the perspective of a scholar working within a particular context on a particular theme or topic related to religion studies. Several methodologies have been implemented in each contribution to the book. Each contribution applies a different methodology for the purpose of investigating a specific topic or research theme. In general, the majority of the contributions follow a method of critical literature review as applied to a specific field. The book is not intended to provide an exhaustive list of all possible topics and themes addressed in current research in Africa. From a decolonized perspective, the book gives voice to African scholars who exhibit their scholarly work as related to religion studies. Topics addressed include curriculum design and pedagogical approaches in teaching religion studies, the relation between religion and culture in an African context, religion and health, religion and gender, interreligious relations in Africa, religion and ecology, and religion and mission.

This unique collection brings together international contributors from a range of disciplines to explore crime and responses to crime through a religious/faith-based lens. At a time when religion is under the media spotlight in terms of religiously-motivated hate crime, terrorism and child abuse this book provides an important platform for academic debate. It examines these and other key issues including: faith as a coping strategy, religion as a motivating factor and the role of religion and morality in shaping criminal justice responses. This collection clearly places religion/faith at the heart of criminological enquiry and illustrates its relevance in addressing wider social issues and would be of benefit to students and academics researching or studying in these areas. It will also be of interest to community and criminal justice practitioners and those with an interest in community engagement and multi-faith work.