Context: The Church and Society in Myanmar
In October 2025, the University of Münster hosted a public discussion with Catholic Archbishop Marco Tin Win. Under the title “The Church and Theology in Myanmar – Between Restricted Freedom and Interreligious Openness,” the event addressed the current situation in Myanmar—marked by political restrictions, religious tensions, and, at the same time, opportunities for interreligious dialogue.
Since the military coup in 2021, Myanmar has been engulfed in an ongoing civil war that has destabilised large parts of the country and placed universities, religious institutions, and civil society structures under immense pressure. Academic work is only possible to a limited extent in many areas. The discussion in Münster highlighted how religious communities are assuming responsibility under these conditions, maintaining spaces for dialogue while simultaneously having to cope with considerable structural uncertainties. In addition, the film Midwives was screened and subsequently discussed together in order to further deepen understanding of the social realities on the ground.
In conversation with: Prof. Dr. Hans-Peter Grosshans
What project are we discussing today?
We are discussing a long-term research collaboration with a theological university in Myanmar, from which a teaching and exchange partnership with several theological institutions in Myanmar subsequently emerged. The six-year research project, funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) from 2014 to 2020, focused on “Attitudes to Religious Diversity among Buddhists, Christians and Muslims in Myanmar”. Over the years, this project gave rise to personal and institutional relationships that continue to be maintained today.
Who are you, and what is your role within the collaboration?
I am Professor of Systematic Theology and Director of an Institute for Ecumenical Theology at the Protestant Faculty of Theology. I also serve as the Internationalisation Officer of my faculty. The Myanmar collaboration originated from personal contacts of mine. Today, I seek to actively further develop the academic relationships that have emerged from it. This includes maintaining contacts, facilitating research stays, and inviting colleagues from Myanmar to Münster – particularly under the current difficult political circumstances.
How did the collaboration begin?
The collaboration began in 2007 at a conference in Hong Kong. There, I met the President of the Myanmar Institute of Theology in Yangon, Dr Samuel Ngun Ling, who impressed me with his theological expertise, analytical sharpness, and critical perspective on both the political and religious situation in his own country. This encounter initially led to an informal academic exchange and later to the idea of a joint research project together with my faculty colleague, Professor Perry Schmidt-Leukel. We were subsequently able to secure substantial funding from the DFG, which enabled us to conduct research in Myanmar over a period of six years, accompanied by several conferences.
What was the central focus of the research project?
At the heart of the project was the question of attitudes towards religious diversity among members of Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam in Myanmar. This also included an analysis of religious discourses in Myanmar over recent decades. In addition, local literature was examined, and interviews were conducted with Buddhist, Christian, and Muslim lecturers and scholars. The findings were discussed at conferences in light of theories of religion, while interreligious academic dialogue was continuously fostered. One key theme that emerged was the relationship between religion and ethnicity. Several publications resulted from the project, many of which received considerable attention within Myanmar itself.
What does the collaboration look like in practice?
Following the completion of the research project, collaborations with various actors in Myanmar continued in a range of mostly informal formats. This was initially complicated by the pandemic and later, above all, by the military coup of 1 February 2021, the subsequent Civil Disobedience Movement, and the ensuing civil war and state violence. Some of our partners were and continue to be directly affected by these developments.
Despite these difficult conditions, several theologians from Myanmar have come to Münster for research stays in recent years, in some cases for several months. Conversely, visits to Myanmar were also planned, although these have been postponed or made more difficult due to the political situation. The collaboration is formally anchored through Memoranda of Understanding with the Kachin Theological College & Seminary (KTCS) in Myitkyina in Kachin State, as well as with the Myanmar Institute of Theology (MIT) in Yangon. Both agreements include lecturer exchanges, research collaborations, and opportunities for student mobility. In principle, it is therefore possible to complete a semester abroad at either KTCS or MIT. Both institutions offer bilingual teaching – at MIT in English and Burmese, and at KTCS in English and Kachin. At the same time, the structural conditions are highly unequal. The partner institutions in Myanmar receive no state funding and are therefore unable – just like ourselves – to offer comprehensive scholarship programmes. We are therefore jointly seeking to develop long-term funding opportunities, particularly for teaching collaborations and exchange programmes.
In addition, the security situation remains extremely challenging. While travel to Yangon is currently possible in principle, the situation in Kachin State remains highly tense due to the civil war. For precisely this reason, it is important to us to sustain the collaboration even under difficult conditions and not allow academic exchange to break down.
What challenges shape the collaboration?
The greatest challenge is undoubtedly the political situation in Myanmar. The civil war and unstable security conditions significantly hinder academic mobility. At the Kachin Theological College & Seminary in Myitkyina, Kachin State, in northern Myanmar – with which my faculty has signed a Memorandum of Understanding – electricity is only available intermittently. Internet access is unreliable. Travel is difficult. Daily life, both day and night, is accompanied by bomb explosions and gunfire. Due to low salaries, lecturers often need to take on additional jobs, which makes sustained research activity considerably more difficult. Exchange programmes are also organisationally demanding, particularly with regard to visa procedures. These processes are often cumbersome and, in any case, highly time-consuming.
What impact has the collaboration had so far?
Alongside published academic findings, the collaboration has above all led to the development of stable personal relationships. For colleagues in Myanmar, it is by no means self-evident that European partners – or European politics more broadly – take a serious interest in their situation. The collaboration is therefore highly significant for our partners in Myanmar.
Within the field of theology, the University of Münster is very well known in Myanmar and is regarded as one of the few places in Germany where there is sustained interest in the country. Furthermore, individual researchers have been able to work temporarily in Münster under safe conditions, which, given the political circumstances, is far from self-evident. In 2026 as well, two theologians from Myanmar will once again spend several months studying and conducting research in Münster.
What distinguishes this collaboration from others?
The collaboration is not part of a larger institutional programme. Rather, it is shaped by personal relationships. At the same time, the political and social conditions under which the cooperation takes place are exceptionally challenging.
What perspectives do you see for the future?
Unfortunately, future prospects depend heavily on further political developments. Academic exchange will certainly continue. Teaching and study visits in both Münster and Myanmar will also be maintained.
In the long term, my aim is to keep spaces for dialogue open, even in times of political uncertainty. I could also imagine initiating another large-scale research project. Myanmar offers extremely compelling topics for the study of religion. The relationship between ethnicity and religion in the multi-ethnic state of Myanmar – as in other Asian countries – has by no means been adequately explored.
What recommendations would you give to others pursuing similar collaborations?
One should not focus exclusively on large, established institutions and their funding calls. Sustainable collaborations often emerge from chance encounters and personal conversations. Rather than concentrating primarily on one’s own strategic interests, attention should be paid to the fascinating questions and themes that arise through such exchanges. Anyone wishing to establish international cooperation needs patience, initiative, and a willingness to tackle organisational challenges personally. International collaboration often begins with a simple decision: to enter into conversation with one another and to engage openly and actively with the other person.
I would like to sincerely thank Professor Grosshans for the conversation.
Prof. Dr. Hans-Peter Grosshans is Professor of Systematic Theology at the Protestant Faculty of Theology at the University of Münster. His research focuses on philosophy of religion, ecumenical theology, the study of global Protestantism, and reflections on religion and modernity. Professor Grosshans brings extensive international experience to both teaching and research, including visiting professorships at the Institute for Christianity and Cross-Cultural Studies at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China, and at Sabah Theological Seminary in Malaysia. He is actively committed to fostering global academic collaboration and leads several international cooperative projects, including long-standing partnerships in Central and Southeast Asia. Contact
