Feminist spirituality: belonging in, with and as nature, an arts-based exploration
Publication information:
Abstract
In this presentation I draw on early findings of my arts-based autoethnography and a sociological analysis of the feminist spirituality movement of the 1970s and 80s, and its ongoing impact, to explore how nature-connected feminist spiritualities contribute to multi-species belonging for both humans and more-than-humans. Focusing on the work of Cuban-American artist Ana Mendieta I suggest that feminist spirituality has contributed towards decolonial social change, challenging Western anthropocentric frames and opening spaces for understandings of humans as belonging within the living world, and for more-than-human belonging within ‘human’ society.
Presenter Biography
Jo Taylor is a PhD candidate who studies relationships between art, spirituality and nature in the sociology of religion. Her work explores how arts practices arise from and contribute to human and more-than-human agentic co-creative worldmaking. She is committed to learning respectfully from First People’s knowledges, and is a member of the Spirituality and Wellbeing (SWell) Research Network.