Victoria Basug Slabinski (she/her/hers) is a PhD candidate in religious studies at the University of Virginia whose research draws constructive Christian theology, decolonial thought, and gender and sexuality studies into conversation. Her research centers contemporary Philippine and Filipino American art and aesthetics as sites for theological reflection and engages topics of memory, ancestrality, and eschatology. Victoria holds a Master of Divinity from Yale Divinity School and a Bachelor of Arts from Miami University (Ohio).
What are you studying and why? What led you to your research topic?
My research considers the intertwined histories of Christianity and colonialism in the Philippines, asking how present-day Filipino and Filipino American communities might contend with colonial legacies and sustain hopes for decoloniality. My dissertation approaches Filipino and Filipino American artwork as a site of and for theological reflection, drawing from Christian theologies and queer/feminist/decolonial theories to trace themes of collective memory, imagination, and hope expressed through art. In conversation with these artworks, my dissertation explores decolonial memory – that is, how we might “remember decolonially” by honoring ancestors, forming relationships of care and solidarity across diaspora and “homeland,” and centering attention around present-day Indigenous communities facing colonial oppression – and the implications of this memory-work for Christian eschatological hopes. Broadly, I’m interested in memory, hope, decoloniality, and healing, and in the value of artistic/aesthetic production as a site for theological reflection.
I became interested in this topic because of my own identity as a biracial, third-generation, Filipino American, the tension I’ve experienced within Christianity, and my experiences with the arts. I have strong Catholic roots on both sides of my family (Filipino on one side, and mostly-Polish on the other), have participated in justice ministries with local church communities and campus organizations, and find inspiration in liberating resources from the Christian tradition, but I’ve also witnessed harmful expressions of Christianity intertwined with sexism, racism, homophobia, and xenophobia, and I’ve been grappling with the entangled histories of colonialism and Christianity in the Philippines. Lately, I’ve been inspired by artistic responses to these histories, especially following the quincentennial in the Philippines (500 years of Christianity / 500 years since the start of Spanish colonialism). I have a background in music and dance myself, and I value the unique ways that artwork and aesthetics are able to engage with storytelling, emotion, and embodiment. I want my academic research to honor this artistic work and bring it into conversation with Christian theologies as a way of addressing colonial histories and envisioning decolonial hopes.
How are you identifying your calling?
I feel called to contribute academically to conversations and questions related to religion and colonialism, and theologies of trauma and healing. In my teaching, I take a person-first approach and encourage students to think about who is missing/marginalized from a text, to expand their sense of what sources and perspectives can be considered valuable within an academic setting (for instance, by featuring story-centered texts and minoritized authors), and to reflect on the role of their own experiences and voices. I also feel called to provide resources for communities within and beyond academia who are grappling with various legacies of colonialism, and to continue working beyond the academy by staying grounded in a church community and participating in local justice ministries.
What has your experience been with PANAAWTM?
I’ve learned so much from the leaders of PANAAWTM through both written works like Off the Menu and other beautiful works of Asian and Asian American feminist theology, and their generous offerings as mentors. I have attended several PANAAWTM graduate student workshops throughout my journey as a doctoral student, which have affirmed me as a scholar while also challenging me to read texts beyond dominant university curricula, to think about the narrative arc of my dissertation, and to frame my work in relation to a wide range of possible conversation partners. I have also had the opportunity to learn from Drs. Kwok Pui Lan, Boyung Lee, Nami Kim, Junehee Yoon, and other members of the PANAAWTM community through spaces created by the Asian Theological Institute, Louisville Institute, and Filipino Diaspora Religious Research Collective.
At PANAAWTM conferences, I’ve appreciated the interweaving of artwork and embodied ritual practices alongside academic lectures and roundtable discussions that include scholars, practitioners, and community leaders. I’m grateful for the ways PANAAWTM has provided a space of community-building, mentoring, support, and sharing wisdom that intentionally bridges the worlds of academia, ministry, and activism.
What brings you hope and joy?
I find joy through dancing, playing collaborative boardgames, and cooking and sharing meals with friends. I find hope in the work of art and storytelling, in observing new generations of students connect with activism and community-building work on their campuses, and in seeing the ways that people protect and care for each other on local and global levels.