Polin Day 5 February 2026 Decolonising Theology

Warmly welcome to our Polin Day on Thursday 5th of February, 2026, from 10.00-17.30! The topic for our Polin Day is Decolonising Theology and the day is organized in collaboration with Overseas Ministries Study Center (OMSC: https://omsc.ptsem.edu/) at Princeton Theological Seminary. The morning session will take place in Aud. Stella in the new Astra-building (Porthaninkatu 3) and after lunch we will continue in Aud. Theologicum in Annexet (Piispankatu 16).

Program

Aud. Stella, Astra, Porthaninkatu 3

10:00                 Welcome

10:15                 Keynote

Prof. Jude Lal Fernando: Decolonizing Interreligious Dialogue

11:00                 Dr. Hadje Sadje: Can Non-Western Think Theologically? Discontents, Critiques, and Challenges of Decoloniality

11:30                 Prof. Mika Vähäkangas: Lived Theology as Decolonization of Theology

12:00                 LUNCH (Grädda)

Aud. Theologicum, Annexet, Piispankatu 16

13:30                 Dr. Chongpongmeren Jamir: Recovering Lijaba: Indigenous divine memory and decolonising theological vocabularies in Tribal Theology

14:00                 Dr. Francis Benyah: Exploring Lived Theology in the Healing Camps in Ghana

14:30                 Dr. Laura Hellsten: Teresa of Avila – life between destabilising colonial politics and politicised erotic mysticism

15:00                 Dr. Clementine Nishimwe: Women in the snare of diversity: Decrypting pseudo-inclusion as coloniality and re-imagining a decolonized and religiously inclusive academia

15:30                 COFFEE BREAK

16:00                 Greeting: Dr. Easten Law, OMSC

16:15                 OMSC Online Certificate Student Paper 1

16:45                 OMSC Online Certificate Student Paper 2

17:15                 Concluding discussion

17:30                 Closing

18:00                 DINNER (Kuori)

The Polin Institute offers both lunch and dinner. The lunch takes place at Grädda (Piispankatu 15) and the dinner will be at Restaurant Kuori (Hämeenkatu 8), at 18.00. Registration is required for lunch and dinner. Register by 28th of January by e-mailing tove.hoglund@abo.fi and let us know whether you will eat lunch and/or dinner, as well as possible dietary restrictions.

There is also a possibility of attending via Zoom: https://aboakademi.zoom.us/j/66759920229