Whiteness and patriarchy: Weeding out barriers to oneness and cultivating obedience to the Covenant

The Bahá'í Writings warn that achieving world peace and oneness will require both racial and gender equality. The interlocked false ideologies of whiteness and patriarchy, symptoms of the diseases of white and male supremacy are barriers to those goals. What “heart-searching” is required to “weed out … those faults, habits and tendencies inherited from their own nation … to cultivate … those distinctive qualities and characteristics so indispensable to their effective participation in the great redemptive work of their Faith.” An arts-based inquiry to understanding ourselves in the Covenant.

You are warmly invited to a follow-up Zoom session with the presenter on Saturday, 6 August 2022 at 1:00 pm Eastern Time. To register, follow this link.

Deepening questions

  1. What does it mean to be a "whited" Bahá'í; tainted by the ideology of whiteness?
  2. What does it mean to be a "gendered" Bahá'í; tainted by the ideology of patriarchy?
  3. How does the "unconscious sense of superiority' created by false doctrines of white and male supremacy affect our community building process, consultations and Institute Process?
  4. How can I utilize the results of my PhotoSophia "heart-searching" to come to know myself better, to weed out the negative qualities I have "inherited from our nation," and cultivate qualities of oneness and justice, in obedience to the Covenant?

  • Race
  • Racial Justice
  • Equality
  • Gender
  • Media

  • Chuck Egerton

    I work to design, direct and accompany arts-based photographic/dialogue projects seeking authenticity, oneness and justice in alignment with the Covenant of Baha'u'llah. My work with the PhotoSophia* helps address two major barriers to community building, the ideologies of patriarchy and whiteness. I am an educator, photographer in the Peace & Conflict Studies (PACS) discipline, trained as a visual artist, in conflict transformation and healing racism. I have a Bachelor of Fine Arts, and an MA and Ph.D. in PACS. I teach as a lecturer at UNC Greensboro.

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46th Annual Conference

1,000

The views expressed in this recording are those of the presenter and do not necessarily represent the views of the Association for Bahá’í Studies, nor the authoritative explications of Bahá’í writings.