In this blog I aim to reflect on my exploration of the concept of intersectionality, this time considering religion as a core element in this framework.
I have chosen to consider the suggested reading by Riedel and Rau, ‘Religion and Race: the need for an Intersectional Approach’, as one of two principal materials of my research process.
By applying the multi-axis approach to intersectionality coined by Kimberly C Kershaw, which illustrates the complexities of structural discrimination in law doctrine against black women in terms of race and gender – in which positionality is weakened by separation of these characteristics – Riedel and Rau aim to apply a similar approach to the issues surrounding race and religion:
‘We can observe a similar limitation in relation to influential definitions of race and racism in academic but also public and legal discourse that focus on phenotype and skin colour (see e.g. Omi and Winant 2014). However, these definitions of race have been insufficient for accounting fully for the experiences of racialized religious minority groups, such as Muslims and Jews.’
(Riedel and Rau, 2024)
To further underpin this perspective, a historical context is outlined in two quotes within the piece which consider the concept of otherness created by the legacy of the Christian church in the West (ie. a secular majority) and its consequent alienation of religions such as Judaism and Islam in Western societies:
‘For Topolski, the trajectory of anti-Judaism and its development into antisemitism has for a long time been the sine qua non example when thinking about the racialization of religion. In that sense, it can be seen as the precursor of ressentiments against Muslims, anti-Muslim racism, more broadly, Islamophobia.’
(In reference to Topolski, 2018)
‘This is a reaction often underpinned by a common perception that these religions are a system of oppression given the secular-progressive orientation of intersectional scholarship.’
(In reference to Singh, 2015)
Following on these, the authors further state that:
‘..various permutations of European ‘civilizationism’ (Brubaker, 2017) … suggest the need to consider race and religion in tandem rather than each in isolation.’
(Riedel and Rau, 2024)
Additionally, given the current state as suggested above, Riedel and Rau continue to illustrate that by separating religion and race in juristic practice we run the risk of overemphasising the link between religion and ethnicity. However, in many jurisdictions, religion and race are separate protected characteristics (e.g. UK Equality Act, 2010) partly to avoid the treatment of religion as automatically racialised, as in the case of Bosnian Muslims or Ethiopian Jews – or even White American Buddhists.
Clearly identities are complex, and at times race and religion have had to be separated and one prioritised legally. Here’s an instance in an educational setting: the 2009 case in which the Jewish Free School lost at the Supreme Court. It was found that their admission policy had discriminated on grounds of ethnicity against a 12-year-old boy due to his mother having converted from Catholicism (The Guardian, 2009). This suggests that at times not only separating but prioritising protective characteristics has been necessary.
I’d like to introduce a counterargument to Reidel and Rau’s approach that de-essentialises religious identities more in the manner of the Equalities Act. In her text ‘Religion, Intersectionality, and Epistemic Habits of Academic Feminism: Perspectives from Global Feminist Theology’ Finnish theologian Elena Vuola argues that the ‘flattening of religion’ whilst merging it with race has implications on lived heterogeneity:
‘The phenomenon of the treatment of religion in feminist theory could be described as a simultaneous under‑ and over‑estimation of religion. … the latter case points to a ‘religion‑as‑a‑lens’ type of theorising, in which religion is seen as the main explanatory factor of women’s lives in a given culture, mainly in negative terms’.
(Vuola, 2017)
Following from the two arguments above I’d now like to take the conversation aways from the political and juridical domain and take it back to the classroom. Aligning to UAL’s Climate/Social/Racial Justice principles, the students are first asked to engage with the distinct frameworks of race and religion, before exploring their interrelations, which also avoids any conflations that may lead to problematic assumptions, which in turn re-enforce stereotypes.
As opposed to Reidel and Rau’s concept, Vuola’s critique of ‘religion-as-a-lens’ supports an educational strategy where race and religion are first introduced as separate analytical tools, each with their own genealogies and power dynamics, before being brought together through an intersectional lens that highlights their interconnections without flattening either.
Overall, one strives to understand the interconnectedness of peoples’ race and religion in a social context, but perhaps a fuller acceptance of each individual’s unique intersectionality is key.
Bibliography
Crenshaw, K. (1990) ‘Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence against Women of Color.’ Stanford Law Review, Stanford Law School
Riedel, M., & Rau, V. (2025) ‘Religion and race: The need for an intersectional approach’. Identities/Global Structures in Culture and Power, available in: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1070289X.2025.2476300#abstract
Omi, M., and H. Winant. (2014) ‘Racial Formation in the United States’ London: Routledge.
Topolski, A. (2018)‘The Race-Religion Constellation: A European Contribution to the Critical Philosophy of Race.’ Critical Philosophy of Race 6 (1): 58–81.
Singh, J. (2015)‘Religious Agency and the Limits of Intersectionality.’ Hypatia 30 (4): 657–674.
Brubaker, R. (2017) ‘Between Nationalism and Civilizationism: The European Populist Moment in Comparative Perspective.’ Ethnic and Racial Studies 40 (8): 1191–1226.
UK Equality act 2010, available in: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15
Shepherd, J., Butt, R. (2009) ‘Jewish School Racially Discriminated Against Boy, Court Rules’ Guardian article, available in: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2009/dec/16/jewish-free-school-dsicrmination-ruling
Vuola, E. (2017) ‘Religion, Intersectionality, and Epistemic Habits of Academic Feminism: Perspectives from Global Feminist Theology.’ Feminist Encounters: A Journal of Critical Studies in Culture and Politics
UAL Climate, Social and Racial Principles teaching plan 2025, available in: https://www.arts.ac.uk/about-ual/climate-action-plan/what-and-how-we-teach
Well worth the wait. What a thoughtful reflection on the problematizing of religion when viewed through the lens of wider political, social and cultural agendas and great use of your reference material. Xenophobic views and biases based on dominant world views of peoples who practice certain religions can result in widespread discrimination and misunderstanding of religious practices.
Of all the intersections, religious faith is very fractured. There are so many variations of how different people practice the same faith, what is important to them, religious customs they adopt, such as Muslim women who chose to wear the veil that are open to many often-negative interpretations.
As you point out, religion is distinct from race and ethnicity and protected under equality legislation. How does one find space in the classroom to discuss it? This is something I am still pondering but then my work is mostly carried out on a one-to-one basis which makes any discussion of religion very personal.
Thank you, Fran, I got there in the end! I’m glad you found the content engaging.
You asked how we create space for religion in the classroom. For me, these conversations have actually mostly also come up during one-to-one tutorials. I recall a moment when a Muslim student drew from her family background and wove it beautifully into her unit work. I remember thinking how powerful it would have been if she had shared this with the wider group. My take away was to always encourage students whose creative foundations are rooted in something deeply personal to share with the cohort, offering visibility in a way that is both positive and sensitively framed.
Hi Mikolai,
I enjoyed reading your blog post, I particulalrly enjoyed the diverse use of sources to get your point across.
As someone who also uses a lot of quotes when writting myslef, I would make the suggestion to consider shortening the quotes and or explaining the concept and only addidng a short exerpt of the quote, this may also help with your wordcount.
It is hard to keep thing to 500 words 😉
Well done on the blog post, I cant wait to read the other pieces you have written.
Thank you, glad to hear this Emilia.
There are so many conversations happening around this topic, so it’s both rewarding and a bit of a challenge to carve out your own perspective. Finding a narrative that genuinely reflects ones perspective takes care and clarity. Also, thank you for the advice on the paraphrasing, point taken. However, in terms of word count, the post is within the requirements as quotes aren’t counted towards the total – I hope!
Thanks a lot Mikolai for sharing this post, which excels in the way it is scaffolded by using brilliant citations and references.
The last data report released by UAL in June 2025, it shows that at LCF there are 5599 students whom 59% have declared no religion or a belief, followed by 16% of Christians, 4% are Hindu, 4% are Muslim, 4% are Buddhist and so on and so forth.
I have noticed that on floor 10 of our University, we have a multifaith room where people of different religions are able to share the same environment. Do you think that this physical conviviality could overcome the spread of stereotypes and stigmatisation?