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

Inhalt
Acknowledgement;Foreword Ali A. Abdi;Introduction Njoki N. Wane & Eric Ritskes;Chapter 1: Situating Children in the Discourse of Spirituality Susannah Cole;Chapter 2: Connected: Indigenous Spirituality as Resistance in the Classroom Eric J. Ritskes;Chapter 3: Nourishing the Authentic Self: Teaching with Heart and Soul Lisa Hart;Chapter 4: Spirituality and Its Relevance for the Contemplative Educator Jennifer Motha;Chapter 5: Spirituality: A Philosophy and a Research Tool Njoki N. Wane;Chapter 6: The Role of Spirituality in Maori and Tibetan Village Schools Jia Luo;Chapter 7: Spirituality and Indigenous Knowledges: Study of Kototama and Decolonization in the School System Yumiko Kawano;Chapter 8: The Dialectics of Western Christianity and African Spirituality Akena Adyanga;Chapter 9: A Spiritual Journey in the Academy: My Personal Experience Energy L. Manyimo;Chapter 10: My Name is 'Mohamed', But Please Call Me 'John': Canadian Racism, Spirit Injury and the Renaming of the Indigenous Body as a Right of Passage Aman Sium;Chapter 11: Holding Relationships as Sacred Responsibilities: A Journey of Spiritual Growth and Being Nadia Salter;Chapter 12: Spirituality: An Interconnected Path to Healing Adelin Brunal;Chapter 13: Spirit Injury: The Impact of Colonialism on African Spirituality Jennifer M. Jagire;Chapter 14: The Loss of My Indigenous Languages: As I Lose, I Struggle to Find Wariri Muhungi;Chapter 15: Religious Fundamentalism, Political Power and the Colonization of Spirituality Emily Antze;Chapter 16: Wisdom Sharing and Altered Consciousness: A Transformative Learning Project Jennifer Richmond-Bravo;Conclusion: Extending the Dialogue Energy L. Manyimo & Eric J. Ritskes;Notes on the Contributors;Subject Index;