We Deserve - More Than This - Spirit Murdering and Resurrection in the Academy - Journal of Educational Foundations Vol. 34, No. 1 - 2021

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by dabgoudw

Spirit murdering in the academy is pervasive and causes enduring harm to racially minoritized populations. Built on an academic culture that embraces racism, it damages the minds, bodies, and souls of racially minoritized faculty and students over time, taking multiple forms in classrooms, research and service politics, and expectations of incompetence. The manuscript explains how racism’s systemic nature creates sometimes irreparable injury while also highlighting refuge through shared survival experiences and a call to higher education stakeholders to disrupt the racist and toxic academy.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages22

Reading Time55 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Framing Our Journey

We Deserve More Than This Spirit Murdering and Resurrection in the Academy Raquel Wright-Mair Gabriel Pulido The Journal of Educational Foundations Vol. 34, No. 1 2021, pp. 110-131 Copyright 2021 by Caddo Gap Press Abstract Spirit murdering in the academy is pervasive and the impactson racially minoritized populations are far-reaching and lasting. As Love (2016) notes, spirit murdering is built upon an academic culture that openly embraces racism, at the expense of the minds, bodies, and souls of racially minoritized faculty and students. Over time the spirits, bodies, and minds of Black and Brown people are slowly etched away at and damaged many times beyond repair. Spirit murder takes various forms as we highlight-in the classroom, through the politics of research and service, expectations, and presumed incompetence. This manuscript discusses the ways that spirit murder manifests and underscores the significant and sometimes irreparable damage that occurs when racially minoritized faculty and students have to navigate constant attackson their minds, bodies, and spirits as they navigate an academy not intended for them in the first place. The manuscript highlights how context matters and how refuge for survival is often found in others enduring the same pain. Moreover, the manuscript provides a call to action for higher education stakeholders to reflect on the systemic and pervasive nature of racism, and work towards disrupting the racist academy, as well as eliminate the culture of toxicity that breeds and promotes spirit murdering. Keywords: Spirit Murdering, Racially Minoritized Students, Racially Minoritized Faculty Raquel Wright-Mair is an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Services and Leadership at Rowan University, Glassboro, New Jersey. Gabriel Pulido is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Policy Studies at Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania. E-mail [addresses: wrightmair@rowan.edu & gabriel@psu.edu](addresses: wrightmair@rowan.edu & gabriel@psu.edu) 110 Introduction Our mind does not fail us. The academy and society functioning asa system of interlocking forms of oppression, does (Combahee River Collective, 1986; Love, 2016) . When we enter academic spaces our bodies, minds, and spirits never know what part will be attacked first. Perhaps it will be our racial, ethnic, national, gender identities and/or sexual orientation. The one thing that remains consistent, is how prepared weare. Academia can impact racially minoritized1 populations, whether through co-option of work, abuse of labor, inequitable output, unequal distribution of work, mistreatment, or a blatant disregard for the value we bring to academic environments (Johnson & Bryan, 2017) . After all, for many Black and Brown people, our mind is kept open and motivated when our bodies and souls are nourished. When those are attacked, our mind simply survives and tries to get us through the bare minimum-if that; constantly operating under the guise that weare simply not good enough, a result of colonization and white supremacy. Yet, we must show up and combat forms of aggression as best as our ancestors have prepared us, as white rage and dominance tries to disassemble our labor. To not do so, is to risk our collective future which depends on the survival of all racially minoritized people. This manuscript capturesour collective story of simultaneously and separately experiencing spirit murder in the academy. We discuss the nuances of spirit murdering in various contexts from both the faculty and student perspective and discuss how we navigate and move through the effects of spirit murdering in our academic careers. We also highlight a call to action for education stakeholders to recognize the lasting effects of a history rooted in violence, pain, and harm. Ours is a tale of rising after spirit murdering; and the continuation of the pervasive nature of reckoning with and maneuvering thr

FAQs

What is “spirit murdering” in the context of the academy described in the manuscript?

It refers to pervasive harm to racially minoritized faculty and students that is sustained by an academic culture embracing racism. The manuscript describes it as damaging minds, bodies, and souls over time through multiple forms of aggression and disregard.

Where does spirit murdering manifest, according to the authors?

It appears in classrooms and through the politics of research and service, including expectations, presumed incompetence, co-option of work, abuse of labor, inequitable output, and mistreatment.

How do the authors frame their experiences and analysis?

They use Black feminist thought and standpoint theory to explain how oppression is experienced differently based on group standpoint. They also emphasize developing their own standpoints and building solidarity as a form of refuge and survival.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by dabgoudw