How can a theological understanding of liberation better inform and improve the development work of faith-based organisations and churches in Chin Sta

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My PhD research aims to critique Asian feminist theology from the standpoint of Zomi women in Chin State, north-west Myanmar. An interdisciplinary project, I combine ethnography with theology in order to move towards the construction of a Zomi women's theology.The Zomi are a predominantly Christian ethnic minority in Chin State, Myanmar, existing in precarious tension with the federal Burmese-Buddhist state. Approximately 85% of the Zomi identify as Christian, making them Myanmar's largest Christian ethnic minority. With a poverty rate of 73%, Chin State is also the poorest region in the country. Difficult terrain, poor infrastructure, and unstable ethnoreligious relations further inhibit the region's development. Zomi women occupy a second-class position in society, reinforced through social institutions, norms, and cultural values. Strict gender roles confine women to domestic and caring duties and they are often excluded from decision-making. Schooling levels for girls are substantially lower than boys, revealing a gender hierarchy that prioritises men and limits women. Although some women do pursue vocations, societal expectations mean they still undertake all domestic labour alongside their paid work. This gender inequality is also unfortunately replicated in the churches through teaching and practice. Asian feminist theology articulates Christian ways of thinking to address the specific issues faced by Asian women. Contextual in nature and liberative in aim, Asian feminist theologians privilege the lives and experiences of Asian women as foundational to their theology. Their stories are woven together with indigenous practices and new understandings of Scripture and doctrine, resulting in a theology uniquely for and from Asian women. The dominant Asian feminist theologians are situated in South Korea, Hong Kong, the Philippines and India and, thus far, there is no Asian feminist theology from the Zomi context. The highly contextualised nature of Asian feminist theology prevents it from being easily translated across countries and cultures. Factors such as the significant economic, social and religious differences between countries like South Korea, the Philippines, and Myanmar, reveal the need for a Zomi women's theology. Other critical issues demanding close analysis include the ethnoreligious tensions between the state and the Zomi and the severe poverty in Chin State which all undoubtedly impact the way Zomi women relate to the divine. My research will explore in-depth the theologies and faith lives of Christian Zomi women. I am interested in discovering how life in this context has shaped the ways in which they understand and experience their faith. My project will offer constructive proposals for Asian feminist theology to be contextualised for the lived experiences of Zomi women in order that it remains uplifting and liberating for Christian Asian women.The absence of literature on the topic and the strong oral tradition in Zomi culture necessitate the use of social-scientific methodologies. I will undertake 6-8 months of fieldwork in Chin State. Using a combination of participant observation, one-to-one interviews and small focus groups, I aim to uncover the theological reflections of Zomi women and learn how their faith helps them navigate life in the most undeveloped region of Myanmar. My findings from the field will then be brought into conversation with the works of Asian feminist theologians in order to assess the relevance and applicability of mainstream Asian feminist theology to the Zomi context. My research will be the first to privilege the thoughts and stories of poor, marginalised Zomi women who have long been overlooked. It will also contribute to the scholarship on Christianity in Myanmar, and minority peoples in Myanmar, highlighting the gendered nature of the interplay between faith, nationalism, and identity within a context of ethnoreligious tension, mass poverty, and inequality.