Creative Scholar Mothering in Academia and the Community

• In Event: Embodying Collective Care and Holistic Educational Attainment of Graduate Student Mothers of Color in a Digital Society

Proposal

This study utilizes intersectionality theory to explore my experiences as a Black Muslim mother graduate student who is also an entrepreneur and artist. This theoretical lens, coined by legal scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw (2013), helps me analyze how my intersecting identities of race, religion, motherhood, academia, artistry, and entrepreneurship collectively shape my experiences resisting oppression and discrimination in academic institutions and social climates.
Black feminist thought (Collins, 1989) further framed the research, emphasizing the importance of bringing voices like mine, often marginalized in academia, into scholarly discourses. The study centered on the following central question: How does the intersection of motherhood, religion, entrepreneurship, and creative practice influence the academic and personal experiences of a Black Muslim mother graduate student?
The study aligns with broader discussions in comparative education by challenging traditional notions of academic success and productivity. It offers a nuanced perspective on how the intersection of motherhood, scholarship, religion, entrepreneurship, and creative practice informs both personal and academic development, particularly within cross-cultural and in the context of holistic wellness for children (Hernández-Johnson et al., 2019; Lapayese, 2012).
As a methodological tool, I employed daily journaling as the primary mode of inquiry (Rodriguez, 2017). This reflective ethnographic practice allowed me to capture the complexities of balancing motherhood, graduate studies, entrepreneurship, and artistic work (Hamilton & Worthington, 2008). The journaling from five months of the spring 2024 semester provided rich, qualitative data analyzed by applying thematic analysis to identify common themes, topics, and patterns, categorizing them through open coding (Williams & Moser, 2019). Furthermore, critical discourse analysis enabled a deeper exploration of how my experiences are positioned within societal narratives about motherhood, religion, and success, and how these narratives influenced my self-perception and experiences as a scholar, entrepreneur, and artist.
Findings
Using a qualitative approach, this study highlights the essential role of community, creativity, religious practices, and wellness in sustaining my journey as a Black Muslim mother, graduate student, and entrepreneur/artist. Online Muslim sisterhood groups and alternative Islamic courses provided vital support outside academia, while participation in art exhibits in-person and on digital platforms while curating a book tour offered crucial outlets for creative expression and holistic learning with my daughter. These findings show that my resilience was deeply rooted in these support systems, which helped me navigate academia, entrepreneurship, and motherhood, blending my research with art and creating unique bonding experiences with my daughters.

Contribution to Knowledge
This research aims to highlight the experiences of Black Muslim mother-student entrepreneurs by using reflective journaling to challenge stereotypes and misconceptions about gender, religion, and their multifaceted roles. By documenting my journey, I contribute to the academic discourse on fostering more inclusive academic and professional environments that acknowledge and support the diverse needs of graduate students, especially those balancing roles as parents, entrepreneurs, and artists. My findings emphasize the importance of community, creativity, and wellness in navigating complex identities within academic and entrepreneurial spaces, while providing insights that can inform policies and practices in academic institutions to better support consistently overlooked women.

Author

• Tasleem Firdausee, Western Michigan University