MIC Academic Publishes Groundbreaking New Book on Mindfulness and Catholic Education
Dr Tom Carroll, Teaching Fellow in Religious Education at Mary Immaculate College (MIC), has published a new book exploring the compatibility of mindfulness and ethos in the Irish Catholic primary school.
Mindfulness and Ethos: Compatibility, Challenges and Opportunities in the Irish Catholic Primary School examines the concept of the mindfulness phenomenon, its origins and developments in Western society in recent years, as well as how it has become increasingly visible in Irish education, particularly through the vehicle of wellbeing promotion.
Drawing on a rich body of literature and sources, Dr Carroll outlines a comprehensive vision of a Catholic educational vision as operative in Catholic primary schools in Ireland today. The book demystifies mindfulness, charting its evolution from Buddhist tenet to secular and psychological practice, along with its implications for mindfulness usage in Catholic schools.
In doing so, Mindfulness and Ethos offers new insights into how Catholic education locates itself in dialogue with contemporary culture at a time of immense social change in Ireland.
Currently living in mid-Cork, Dr Carroll was motivated to write this book as an extension of his doctoral dissertation, which he completed at MIC with the Department of Theology and Religious Studies.
Speaking about the book, Dr Carroll said that it “Offers students, academics and anyone with an interest in mindfulness and education an overview of a rapidly evolving area in Irish education. It highlights the profound transformation in religiosity and spirituality in Western society as new and emerging practices for meaning-making become increasingly visible. For those with an interest in denominational education, the book provides a starting point for discussion on when and if mindfulness supports or subverts their respective educational vision and ethos".
Mindfulness and Ethos is Dr Carroll’s first published book, although he has contributed to academic journals and presented his research at national and international conferences. It is available for purchase through Peter Lang Verlag.
