Mindfulness Meditation as a Remedy to "White Ignorance" and Its Consequences
By employing recent work on epistemology of white ignorance, this article argues that racial prejudice impacts both whites and Blacks in a profound way that extends beyond the cognitive discrimination to the realm of psychological and physical well-being. Given that the mechanism of racial discrimin...
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| Type de support: | Électronique Article |
| Langue: | Anglais |
| Vérifier la disponibilité: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | En cours de chargement...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Publié: |
University of Hawaii Press
[2018]
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| Dans: |
Buddhist Christian studies
Année: 2018, Volume: 38, Pages: 325-341 |
| Sujets non-standardisés: | B
Health Disparities
B Discrimination B racial prejudice B Mindfulness meditation B psychosocial stressors B epistemic resistance B white ignorance B White Supremacy B Black Theology B racist theology |
| Accès en ligne: |
Volltext (Verlag) Volltext (doi) |
| Résumé: | By employing recent work on epistemology of white ignorance, this article argues that racial prejudice impacts both whites and Blacks in a profound way that extends beyond the cognitive discrimination to the realm of psychological and physical well-being. Given that the mechanism of racial discrimination affects the whole embodied being of both victims and oppressors, theologians need to investigate ways of reducing prejudice that extend beyond the rational countermeasures that offer severe criticism of racist thoughts and behaviors. The latest research shows that various forms of meditations might offer effective means of reducing both implicit as well as explicit racial bias among the white population. Since Christian and other religious communities center their teachings on love and compassion for the "other," tapping into the contemplative resources present in various religious traditions is an indispensable step toward reducing racial forms of prejudice. There is evidence that those discriminated against can also benefit from meditation. Because discrimination affects the mind and the body of those discriminated against, African American scholars have turned their attention to mind-body approaches. African American health psychologists, community health researchers, and legal scholars investigate ways that meditation practices could aid discriminated-against racial groups when legal, social, and cultural structures are steeped in prejudice. Given a growing body of evidence that links health disparities to psychosocial and bio-psychosocial stressors, this article examines studies that demonstrate specific health benefits that meditative techniques provide to the African American population. Beyond the area of physical and psychological health, attention is given to meditative strategies employed by Black legal scholars and activists who are dedicated to transforming the criminal justice system through mindfulness and loving-kindness practices. Such contemplative strategies are part of "community engaged mindfulness" for lawyers, law students, and law makers, but also African Americans who struggle with systemic racism, as well as police officers who need to confront their own biases. |
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| ISSN: | 1527-9472 |
| Contient: | Enthalten in: Buddhist Christian studies
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1353/bcs.2018.0026 |