Abstract
Feminist Spiritualities is a book that presents artistic creations that illuminate the pain caused by colonialism. Deckman describes this pain as a spiritual fiber that connects women across generations and continents. Art provides a vocabulary for the expression of this pain. Current experiences reflect and relate to those in the past, like spirit(s) of people who have not passed. Spirit(s) change over time and space instead of being a static artifact bound to the past. Likewise, reconciling with the spirits of the past in the present allows for growth that is nonlinear, through layers of co-creation and co-existence. It is through this perspective and supported by love, that Deckman reviews the work of artists to highlight the borders of difference where painful experiences need to be reimagined for healing to occur.
Creating a new reality involves being different than in the past in relation to ourselves and others. This process requires tolerating the transition “in between” as relationships change. As described in Chapter 1, sexuality provides a space where race and power can be reformulated and rearticulated as an affront to a history of violence. In Chapter 2, the use of spiritual imagery connects women and their ancestors to disseminate knowledge that might not be accessible otherwise. Recognition legitimates memory and restores a deeper connection to one's history so that love can heal an individual, family, or community's wounds. The expression of one's identity, in Chapter 3, with coalitions drawn around shared identities and witnesses who stand in solidarity, further push against the margins of colonialism. Conversely, de-identifying can operate as a form of violence that leads to a social death and a loss of community. Santeria, for example, explored in Chapter 4, provides sacred imagery that can build community capacity for a broadly inclusive paradigm.
While this book presents important ideas for social work practice and education, further explanation of key terminology (for example, “diaspora”) and the sharpening of key points are needed to make the book accessible for all readers. At times, the narrative tips into knowledge dissemination rather than knowledge creation. Emphasis on the minds and lives of the artists could have allowed the reader to generate more of their own insights. Conversely, Deckman relies on the artist's work to speak for itself. While this supports a direct encounter with the artist, it can feel overwhelming and alienating for a reader who is unfamiliar with the topic and indigenous languages. Again, these challenges could be offset by a sharper focus in the narrative. The work does push the reader to grow, which suggests that Deckman successfully creates the conditions for experiential learning.
Deckman uses this book to make plain our mutual indebtedness to those who support healing by highlighting experiences at the borders of colonialism. The artistic works that fill this book give voice to narratives of pain experienced across the diaspora as well as demonstrate how feminist spiritualities can transcend time and facilitate healing in creating a new narrative of acceptance. This book further seems to suggest that all people experience being the other. While some fight against being deemed the other, others compound the painful experience of it through denial. Denial of our shared experience of otherness can lead to a loss of a vocabulary that has the potential either to disarm or deepen one's experience of being dominated or marginalized. Therefore, this book has potential to inform one's own epistemology, congruent with this book's purpose and charge of social work – liberation.
