Abstract
In this paper, I introduce an alternative paradigm known as Religio-spiritual Literacies: Asia as Method in an attempt to break through the hegemonic Northo-centric paradigm of religious literacy. To begin with, I provide an overview of religious literacy first postulated by Prothero (2008), followed by an examination of the notions of spirituality and religion specifically in the context of Asia, and thence I devise a portmanteau term “religio-spiritual literacies” to expound on the nuances of religion and spirituality. In the second part, the concepts of narrative inquiry and autobiographical narratives are entailed. Addressing axiological concerns underlying this research, I then illustrate my ongoing acquisition of religio-spiritual literacies both within the schooling system and outside of it through my autobiographical narratives as a Hong Kong Chinese straddling my childhood and adulthood. Implications are then discussed drawn from the following considerations: (i) on the epistemological front, the diversity of religio-spiritual literacies are attributable to the temporal and regional dimensions of religious/spiritual discourses via an interdisciplinary approach; (ii) on the pedagogical front, learning of religio-spiritual literacies can be integrated into an array of subjects (i.e. not merely religious studies education per se) for soul-searching, itself a lifelong sense-making process to harbor hope for being more understanding and accommodating towards individuals, the society and the world; and (iii) on the methodological front, since acquisition of religio-spiritual literacies is a key facet of understanding personal lived experience, this paper contributes to literacy research by drawing on interpretive sociological methods as an alternative research paradigm.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Literacy, Religion, Spirituality, Autobiographical Narratives, Hong Kong Chinese, Epistemology, Education
