Digital Commons Network^™

Review Essay: Mitri Raheb On Christian Zionism, Loren D. Lybarger

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Review Essay: Receiving Pope Francis’S Condemnation Of Nuclear Weapons, William J. Collinge

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Mental Health And Mental Health Help-Seeking Behaviors Among First-Generation Voluntary African Migrants: A Systematic Review, Edith N. Botchway-Commey, Obed Adonteng-Kissi, Nnaemeka Meribe, David Chisanga, Ahmed A. Moustafa, Agness Tembo, Frank D. Baffour, Kathomi Gatwiri, Aunty K. Doyle, Lillian Mwanri, Uchechukwu L. Osuagwu

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Purpose Mental health challenges are highly prevalent in African migrants. However, understanding of mental health outcomes in first-generation voluntary African migrants is limited, despite the unique challenges faced by this migrant subgroup. This review aimed to synthesize the literature to understand the mental health challenges, help-seeking behavior, and the relationship between mental health and mental health help-seeking behavior in first-generation voluntary African migrants living outside Africa. Methods Medline Complete, EMBASE, CINAHL Complete, and APA PsychINFO were searched for studies published between January 2012 to December 2023. Retrieved articles were processed, data from selected articles were extracted and synthesized to address …

Differentiating Magic: A Call For A Differential Approach, Weston L. Wright

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This paper seeks to propose an alternative approach for studying magic. It is often the case inacademia, when studying magic, scholars use an understanding of modernity which favors a scientific perspective. When doing so, some scholars have concluded magic has become extinct in our modern society; despite recent research suggesting magical practice is thriving. Likewise, this scholarship promotes an idea of magic grounded in fear, ignorance, superstition, and fraudulence. The goal of this paper is two-fold. First, I seek to advocate for an approach to magic that allows for a plurality of perspectives to be acknowledged, not just a scientific …

Interviews In Global Catholic Studies: Matthew Eggemeier And Peter Fritz, Mathew N. Schmalz, Matthew Eggemeier, Peter Joseph Fritz

Journal of Global Catholicism

No abstract provided.

Interviews In Global Catholic Studies: Mary Dunn, Mathew N. Schmalz, Mary Dunn

Journal of Global Catholicism

No abstract provided.

The Double Bond Of Catholic Abolition: Christianity, Chattel Slavery, And Racial Capitalism, Elayne Oliphant

Journal of Global Catholicism

The reign of the first Pope to originate in the former colonies of the modern Euro-Christian empires calls us into awareness of the layers of interconnection between the Roman Catholic Church and the long “wake” (Sharpe 2016) of 1492. As anthropologists, I argue, our studies of Catholic practices must be informed by a detailed awareness of this history. I offer a broad historical view of how the Roman Catholic Church participated and, at times, led the way in initiating the trans-Atlantic system of Black chattel slavery and colonial expropriation in Euro-Christian Empires. As a scholar of Catholicism in France, I …

‘Hot Girl Teaching’ In A Faith-Based Environment, Niya Pickett Miller

Feminist Pedagogy

There is much to learn from Megan Thee Stallion, the self-proclaimed “Hot Girl Coach.” However, her provocative lyrics and hyper-sexuality are challenging to interject into communication-themed classes at a predominantly white, faith-based university where many students come with an expectation for learning that resists mainstream trends and upholds conventional Christian values and conservative ideological ways of thinking about socio-political issues. This commentary offers a faith-based and feminist perspective about how including Black popular culture, and (more broadly) culturally diverse texts in predominately white, faith-based classrooms can work and why such centering does not contradict biblical principles.

Reflection: Black Boston And The Making Of African American Freemasonry: Leadership, Religion, Andfraternalism In Early America, Chernoh M. Sesay Jr.

Faculty Research Fellowship

No abstract provided.

The Rattler (Volume 112, Issue 5), St. Mary's University

The Rattler (Previous issues)

Founded in 1919, The Rattler is the student voice of St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas. The newspaper documents campus life, academic and social issues, student opinion, and local and national events as they relate to the University community. Content typically includes news articles, editorial commentary, arts and culture coverage, sports reporting, and advertisements.

Conspiracy Theories And Religion: Christian Nationalism And The Rise Of North American Populism, Carmen Celestini

Consensus

No abstract provided.

Union, John C. Lyden

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of Union (2024), directed by Stephen Maing and Brett Story.

Editors' Introduction, Raj G. Chetty, Beverly Greene

Journal of Critical Race and Ethnic Studies

No abstract provided.

Punishment, Rubina Ramji

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of Punishment (2024), directed by Øystein Mamen.

Sujo, Christopher R. Deacy

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of Sujo (2024), directed by Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez.

Agent Of Happiness, John C. Lyden

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of Agent of Happiness (2024), directed by Arun Bhattarai and Dorottya Zurbó.

Associating Academic Identity With Language Socialization In Virtual Community: A Case Study Of A Chinese Graduate Student’S Learning Experiences In Religion Studies, Xiaolong Lu

The Qualitative Report

This longitudinal case study explored the academic identity and language socialization of a Chinese graduate student enrolled in an online religion course at a U.S. university during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected via online classroom observations, oral interviews, and artifacts. The theoretical framework was taken from language socialization and identity, together with positioning theory. The study differs from previous research, arguing that instead of language competence, the constructed academic identity is occasionally crucial for the successful academic discourse socialization of international students in bilingual and virtual settings. Moreover, the inclination toward interactive positioning between students and instructors can arise …

Evaluation Of E-Governance Implementation: A Multi-Attribute Analysis Of E-Government Services Associated With The Annual Hajj Pilgrimage In Saudi Arabia, Moayad Mohammed M. Hakeem

Selected Full Text Dissertations, 2011-

The Hajj pilgrimage is an annual global event in Saudi Arabia. It draws millions of pilgrims worldwide because of its religious significance as the fifth pillar of Islam. Its organization is a massive endeavor for the Saudi government. This research analyzes the Hajj-related E-Government service systems (websites and mobile apps). This research utilizes a multi-attribute evaluative framework to address two areas of Hajj E-Government services: usability (RQ1) and interaction with the services (RQ2). A combination of heuristic evaluation and survey methods was used. The heuristic evaluation by three expert evaluators revealed accessibility, interactivity, and functional issues. Users with disabilities or …

An Open Mystery: Reflections On The Metaphysical Status Of The Participatory Approach, Jorge N. Ferrer

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Advance Publication Archive

This paper provides an assessment and clarification of the metaphysical status of the participatory approach to transpersonal and spiritual phenomena (Ferrer, 2002, 2017a). To that end, I first respond to several criticisms of the approach issued by scholars in recent years; for instance, that it hides a perennialist metaphysics (e.g., Abramson, 2015) or that it is metaphysically vague (e.g., Taylor, 2021). After reviewing these critical discussions, I describe the open and minimalist nature of the participatory metaphysics, arguing that such features cultivate a fertile soil for transpersonal scholarship, human flourishing, and interreligious relations. Applying a biomimetic approach, I argue that …

What Is Transpersonal Psychotherapy? A Conceptual Template, Gabriel Fernandez Borsot

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Advance Publication Archive

Transpersonal psychotherapy (TPT) lacks systematization, as it lacks a model that characterizes what qualifies a psychotherapy as transpersonal. Due to this situation, TPT has been developed in a state of fragmentation, through a multiplicity of idiosyncratic approaches. This idiosyncratic fragmentation jeopardizes the theoretical development of the field, undermines the possibilities of obtaining a wider recognition, and hinders the training and the research. To remedy this, this paper proposes a model of five components which characterize TPT: (1) purposeful use of states of consciousness, (2) transpersonal therapeutic framework, (3) transpersonal techniques, (4) focus on spirituality and/or existential meaning, and (5) suitable …

Peak Teaching: Exploring And Fostering Sacred Experiences In University Classrooms, Charles Burack

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Advance Publication Archive

Supporting the spiritual growth of college and university students with diverse backgrounds and orientations is both important and challenging. It is important not only because spirituality is a crucial dimension of human life but also because the majority of students at both private and public schools want their teachers to address spiritual issues in the classroom. A powerful way to address spirituality is to explore and foster sacred experiences in university classrooms. Sacred experiences include religious, spiritual, mystical, transcendent, numinous, and peak experiences as well as many other nonordinary experiences. The author offers guidance to educators on how to: 1) …

Library As Place: Fostering The Christian Traditions Of Scholarship, Silence, And Hospitality, Lyndi Fabbrini

Librarian Publications and Presentations

Academic libraries have changed and evolved, yet they remain a staple of academic life, supporting students by providing them with the space and materials they need to succeed in their courses. Beyond housing physical collections, library space holds a special significance and fulfills a vital need in the community to which it belongs. In studying Library as Place, three qualities of libraries emerge that are also deeply rooted in the Christian tradition: scholarship, silence, and hospitality. An exploration of these traditions demonstrates how libraries provide spaces for these practices to flourish.

Judaism And The Transpersonal, B. Les Lancaster

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Advance Publication Archive

The interplay between Judaism, especially its mystical tradition, and transpersonal psychology is examined, focusing on two major aspects. The first concerns stages in the spiritual journey, which are analyzed for their psychological import. The stages are symbolically depicted in the biblical narrative of the Exodus from Egypt, a journey from "slavery" to "freedom." Here the Hebrew term translated as "wilderness" is seen to act as a code word, applying to five successive stages each of which I analyze in psychospiritual terms. The role of the divine feminine, the Shekhinah, is emphasized on account of Her specific role in exile and …

Metaphysical Foundationalist Versus Existentialist Ontologies: Applications For Research On Psychological Energy, Michael Da, Glenn Hartelius

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Advance Publication Archive

Theories of psychological energy have a rich history going back to the beginning of the field of psychology, employing concepts such as "libido," "psychic energy," "orgone energy," "bioenergetics," "psycho-energetics," "life energy," "organizing field," and "living-matrix." There has been a recent effort to find neural correlates with these concepts, but these data may not capture the fullness of the phenomenon. Because psychological energy is an elusive concept with many interpretations, research into this phenomenon faces the most basic questions regarding where and how to start. To address these questions, this paper explores several theories of ontology that could apply to psychological …

Teaching In The Transpersonal Paradigm, Christopher M. Bache

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Advance Publication Archive

This article explores the transpersonal dynamics of teaching by presenting two core themes of The Living Classroom: 1) the synchronicities and energetic resonances that radiated invisibly around me as my spiritual practice deepened over time and 2) the “learning fields” that surround well-taught courses—fields of collective consciousness that can trigger new insights and powerful transformations in our students.

What Is Transpersonal Psychotherapy? A Conceptual Template, Gabriel Fernandez-Borsot

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

Transpersonal psychotherapy (TPT) lacks systematization, as it lacks a model that

characterizes what qualifies a psychotherapy as transpersonal. Due to this situation, TPT

has been developed in a state of fragmentation, through a multiplicity of idiosyncratic

approaches. This idiosyncratic fragmentation jeopardizes the theoretical development

of the field, undermines the possibilities of obtaining a wider recognition, and hinders

the training and the research. To remedy this, this paper proposes a model of five

components which characterize TPT: (1) purposeful use of states of consciousness,

(2) transpersonal therapeutic framework, (3) transpersonal techniques, (4) focus on

spirituality and/or existential meaning, and (5) suitable …

Decoding Babel: “Ungrieved Futility” And The Unrecognized Order Of The Depression Research Field, Marty Lynn Cooper

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

The field of depression research and theory is a preparadigmatic potpourri of different orientations without a central, consensus definition of depression. This study attempted to address these issues by investigating the depression sub-literatures (cognitive–behavioral, psychoanalytic, evolutionary, biomedical, phenomenological, existential–humanistic, cybernetic, environmental, and religious–spiritual theories) using a comparative analytic methodology, which allows for comparing disparate fields that do not share a common definitional set by relating them to a third concept, in this study the construct of “ungrieved futility” (UF) as a dynamic model of depression. UF defines the objective and/or subjective experience of the permanent loss of an …

Book Review Early Israel: Cultic Praxis, God, And The Sôd Hypothesis, By Alex Shalom Kohav, B. Les Lancaster

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

N/A

Teaching For Transpersonal Learning, Paul Cunningham

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Advance Publication Archive

This article addresses the “why,” “what,” and “how” of teaching for transpersonal learning. Why transpersonal education is relevant for addressing modern social problems and the global ecological crisis, what it is like to teach for transpersonal learning, and how transpersonal learning becomes transformative are discussed. Three promising options in technology and consciousness studies for transpersonal learning—transpersonal media, multistate studies, and entheogenic education—are described and the challenges of introducing transpersonal education into academic settings and assessing educational (student) learning outcomes are reviewed. The relevance of Mezirow’s Transformation Theory to transpersonal educational psychology, with special attention to ecological perspective transformation, is then …

Singapore Management University Report To Stakeholders 2023/24, Singapore Management University

Report to Stakeholders

The past year has been one of significant growth and achievement for Singapore Management University. As we navigated an increasingly complex and challenging world, SMU remained committed to doing the best by our students, harnessing the collective brain trust that our faculty represent, and the professional expertise of our staff, to deliver impact on our community, country, and region. Our focus on nurturing the next generation of leaders, thinkers, and change-makers continues to be at the heart of our educational mission, and our dedication to the highest quality research for academic and societal impact remains our commitment.