Abstract

Utilizing portraiture as a qualitative methodology, this study examines the role of spirituality in the lives of 16 Black doctoral women who are pursuing degrees in engineering at three institutions, two historically Black and one historically White. The goal of this study is to better understand Black women’s spiritual epistemologies and ontologies in relation to their engineering work and lived experiences as doctoral students. Cognizant of the unique intersections of oppression that Black women may experience in engineering educational environments, this study explores spirituality as a potential resource for these students. Elements of critical race theory (CRT), Black feminist thought, and endarkened feminist epistemology inform my epistemological, ontological, and methodological approach to this work. The study is also informed by empirical literatures pertaining to Black spirituality as well as the experiences of marginalized and minoritized students in STEM academic environments. The use of portraiture in this study encouraged both systemic analysis and creative expression. Thus, in addition to systematically analyzing interview data through detailed coding, writing impressionistic records (i.e., memos), and identifying key themes, I also used spoken word poetry as a means of synthesizing and illustrating my findings while conveying the complexity and richness of my participants’ narratives. Findings of this study demonstrate that spirituality played an integral role in the lives of Black women of faith pursuing their doctorates in engineering. For study participants, spirituality offered a lens through which they saw, understood, and operated in the world. Their faith was not confined to particular space or time in their lives, but rather it informed their ongoing decisions, interactions with others, and sense-making. Spirituality also empowered participants to engage in resistance, resilience, and transcendence in engineering doctoral programs. Participants’ faith emboldened them to exercise agency, assert themselves in advising relationships, employ spiritual strategies to combat mistreatment; while also encouraging them in trying times and reminding them they were overcomers. Moreover, spirituality helped many of these Black women find meaning and purpose in their engineering work, and see alignment between their spiritual and scientific epistemologies. Rather than divorcing the sacred from science, the majority of participants actively reconciled the two, recognizing how they could inform one another.