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TURNING POISON INTO MEDICINE: EXPLORING THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF SOKA EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY THROUGH NARRATIVE INQUIRY A Dissertation by VICKI G. MOKURIA Submitted to the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Chair of Committee, Cheryl J. Craig Committee Members, Patricia Goodson Marlon James Monica Neshyba Head of Department, Michael de Miranda August 2019 Major Subject: Curriculum and Instruction Copyright 2019 Vicki G. Mokuria ABSTRACT The three articles that comprise this dissertation use narrative inquiry as a method to explore how Soka, or “value-creating” education, which originated in Japan in the 1930s, has been applied to show the transformative power of this educational philosophy—centering on the heart and attitude of teachers. The first article is an auto- ethnographic piece that maps my life experiences that lead me to embrace Soka educational philosophy and apply it to my life as a mother and teacher. The second article consists of a collaborative auto-ethnographic article that highlights how I engaged with 4 undergraduate students and how we worked together to create a process that allowed us to excavate ways racism influenced our identities. The second article simultaneously serves as a model of the narrative term of “teachers as curriculum makers” and also, “Soka education in action” in a liminal space at our university. The third article explores how self-identified Soka educators in Brazil who work at the Brazil Soka School and as volunteers who conduct professional development on activities tied to Soka education in local public schools make meaning of what the essential qualities are of Soka educators. Woven within and throughout this dissertation is the way Soka education is used in liminal spaces--as a tool of transformation—within the hearts of educators and students alike. These articles use narratives to show how an educational philosophy can be a transformative educational process in which negative/poisonous experiences can become positive/medicines to support positive growth for individuals and groups. ii DEDICATION I dedicate this dissertation to the lights of my life, my loved ones—especially my daughters, Sara, Aileen, and Cristina and grandsons, Amari and Anuel—who have been great sources of support and inspiration on this journey. I also dedicate this dissertation to all of my ancestors, but particularly to my beloved parents, Joan and Murray Gefen, who loved, cared for me and supported me in innumerable ways. This dissertation is also dedicated to my beloved deceased husband, Tesfaie Mokuria, who taught me much, loved and encouraged me, and helped me grow and become stronger through his life and death. I dedicate this work to my sisters and their families, too, with gratitude. For all of my Brazilian friends and “family” who contributed to my research, especially the educators who so graciously and warmly opened up their lives and hearts to me and from whom I learned so much, I dedicate this dissertation to you. Finally, I dedicate this dissertation to Daisaku and Kaneko Ikeda for their years of encouragement to me through their writings and also, for their efforts to create the Soka educational system, which is providing a foundational platform to create a more peaceful and just world through education. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to acknowledge and express my deep appreciation to the many people who have supported me on this doctoral journey. First, I would like to thank my committee members for your guidance and support. To Dr. Cheryl J. Craig, my advisor, I am extremely grateful to you for the many ways you have shared your knowledge, expertise, and experiences with me—especially about narrative inquiry, along with being someone who has provided me with tremendous freedom and support to conduct my research. To Dr. Patricia Goodson, I thank you for many wonderful writing tips and encouragement at times when it all seemed so difficult; I also thank you for your efforts to work with me so that I could conduct research in Brazil. To Dr. Monica Neshyba, I thank you for introducing me to Gloria Anzaldúa and other Latina feminist writers, as well as always welcoming me and encouraging me on this journey—especially with your most joyful laughter. To Dr. Marlon James, thank you for opening the door to this journey for me and believing in me to do this work; I also thank you for all you’ve taught me about African American education in our country and the opportunities to support USTAR. I also thank Dr. Norvella Carter for her support. To my academic “besties,” Diana Wandix-White, Willie “CJ” and Flora Harmon, I thank you for your support and camaraderie--especially to Diana, for being such a good friend and collaborator on this journey, filled with lots of talks and laughs! I want to acknowledge Dr. Beverly Irby, Dr. Rafael Lara, Donna Druery, Elsa Villareal, Nariman Eljaouhari, and Laura Cajiao-Wingenbach for allowing me to work in the summers. iv To the many professors, university officials and staff members, especially Andrea Caldwell Williams, I am grateful to you. This gratitude extends to everyone who works for IT and the library; I could not have completed this work without so many resources. I also want to acknowledge the IRB staff for their hard work and patience. I want to acknowledge and thank all of the students I have taught because they often were the ones who kept me most grounded and focused on doing this important work. I especially want to thank the students who comprised the research team for article #2, especially Bailey Morris, Allison Lino, and Caitlin TramAnh “Tommy” Vu. Words cannot truly convey my gratitude to my family—Sara, Amari, Aileen, Cristina, Anuel, along with my sisters Ellen and Beth and their families. My deep appreciation extends to the many others who are like family— Dr. Njoki McElroy, Cleo Vascurado, Eve Goh, Gaye Tearnan, Christina Massey, the Eilands, the Bells, the Miskir Family, Jodi Govenar, Barbara Hoffman, the McClures, the Greens, Somkid Clark, Alankrita Chikkara, Ambassador and Mrs. Chowdhury, Jessica Bridges and my many beloved friends who have supported and encouraged me in my SGI-USA “family.” To the professors, “Soka six” and staff at Soka University of America, thank you for the incredible foundation you gave me for my master’s degree. I also want to acknowledge Luci and Amilca Goshima, Mafe Hernnadez, and Sônia Kato for your tremendous support while I was in Brazil. In closing, I feel very grateful to so many people, and if I did not acknowledge someone by name, please forgive me. I am very appreciative to each and every person who has touched my life in any way, for you have helped me become the person I am. I owe my heartfelt gratitude to you also. v CONTRIBUTORS AND FUNDING SOURCES Contributors Graduate study was supported by funding from my work as a Graduate Assistant and Teaching Assistant at Texas A&M University and supervised by a dissertation committee consisting of Dr. Cheryl J. Craig [advisor], Drs. Monica Neshyba and Marlon James of the Department of Teaching Learning and Culture, and Dr. Patricia Goodson of the Department of Health and Kinesiology. All work conducted for the dissertation was completed by the student independently. Funding Sources Support to conduct my research was also provided to me in the form of an Education Fellowship by the Ikeda Center for Peace, Learning, and Dialogue in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which was particularly helpful in funding travel to Brazil to conduct research for article #3. vi NOMENCLATURE BSS Brazil Soka School CRT Critical Race Theories ESL English as a Second Language IB International Baccalaureate JEA Jewish Educational Alliance SDG Sustainable Development Goals SEA Soka Education in Action SUA Soka University of American UNESCO United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................... ii DEDICATION ................................................................................................................. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................................................iv CONTRIBUTORS AND FUNDING SOURCES ............................................................vi NOMENCLATURE ....................................................................................................... vii TABLE OF CONTENTS .............................................................................................. viii LIST OF FIGURES ..........................................................................................................xi LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................... xii 1. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 1 1.1. A troubled childhood in the racist deep South ........................................................ 2 1.2. Seeds of doubt based on disquieting early experiences .......................................... 3 1.3. Turbulent teen years ................................................................................................ 7 1.4. Embracing Buddhism .............................................................................................. 8 1.5. Finding my passion in teaching