Mindfulness and compassion in response to racism

Rose Mina Munjee; Seonaigh MacPherson

doi:10.1080/15595692.2023.2254873

Mindfulness and compassion in response to racism

Rose Mina Munjee, Seonaigh MacPherson

Diaspora Indigenous and Minority Education September 11, 2023 DOI: 10.1080/15595692.2023.2254873 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract

Characteristics	Qualitative study Peer reviewed
Sample size	30
Population	Adult practitioners and teachers of mindfulness and compassion, organized into four racialized affinity groups (Indigenous, Black, South Asian, E./S.E. Asian) and one contrastive White group
Topics	Meditation
Citations	4
Key findings	Participants described mindfulness and compassion as impactful in their responses to and recovery from racism, operating through identity (authenticity and belonging), unlearning internalized oppression, empowerment (cultural reinvigoration), and social change; compassion was described as contributing to reversing self-coldness and opening to reconciliation.

Abstract

This research considers the impacts of racism on the experiences of racialized people, and how mindfulness and compassion might serve as resources for their recovery and resistance. Applying ecological theories of mind and critical phenomenology, the study presents the self-reported experiences of 30 adult organized into five focus groups of practitioners and teachers of mindfulness and compassion, with four affinity groups (Indigenous, Black, South Asian, and E./S.E. Asian) and one contrastive White group. Resulting data were clustered under seven salient topics: identity, racism, oppression, trauma, motivation, mindfulness, and compassion. Participants described mindfulness and compassion as impactful in their responses to, and recovery from, racism through identity (authenticity and belonging), the unlearning of internalized oppression, empowerment (cultural reinvigoration), and social change, with compassion contributing to reversing of self-coldness and opening to reconciliation.

Comparable studies

Other qualitative studies on meditation, most cited first.

Study	Year	Design	Participants
The varieties of contemplative experience: A mixed-methods study of meditation-related challenges in Western Buddhists Western Buddhist meditation practitioners and experts in Theravāda, Zen, and Tibetan...	2017	Qualitative study with mixed-methods
The Effects of Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction on Nurse Stress and Burnout Nurses in a hospital system	2004	Implementation study with mixed methods
An exploratory mixed methods study of the acceptability and effectiveness of mindfulness -based cognitive therapy for patients with active depression and anxiety in primary care Primary care patients with recurrent depression or recurrent depression and anxiety	2006	Exploratory mixed methods study	n = 13
A qualitative study of mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy for depression Participants in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in a mental-health context	2001	Qualitative study	n = 7
Effortless awareness: using real time neurofeedback to investigate correlates of posterior cingulate cortex activity in meditators' self-report Meditators	2013	Qualitative study using grounded theory methodology

Citations in the library

Cited by 2

Cites 6

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