Making sense of spirituality in our academic lives through co-mentoring

ABSTRACT In this paper, we utilize a blended conceptual framework based on spirituality, endarkened feminist epistemology, and feminist co-mentoring that draws upon dialogue from a Freirean perspective to inform our inquiry. In our analysis, we sought to respond to the question: How does spirituality inform the work we do as Black women faculty? We engaged in spirituality focused, co-mentoring dialogues and embraced a collaborative autoethnography research design that involved individual writing, dialogue, reflection, and sharing and meaning making. Through these processes we came to articulate our individual definitions of spirituality and made sense of how spirituality informs our way of being and knowing in the academy. We experienced spirituality as a means to heal self and others, and as a source of resistance and courage.