Davis John Abraham
Email: da594@cam.ac.uk
MPhil Student in Theology, Religion, and Philosophy of Religion (World Christianity)
Supervisor: Professor Jörg Haustein
College Affiliation: Sydney Sussex College
Summary of My Research
Faith on the New Silk Road: Chinese Christianity and the Belt & Road in Uganda
This research explores how China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is shaping global Christianity through the migration of Chinese Christians to East Africa. Focusing on Uganda—a strategic BRI partner with a growing Chinese Christian presence—this study examines how economic migration intersects with religious diffusion. Uganda serves as a unique case study to understand broader trends of Chinese Christianity abroad, offering a microcosm of the faith's expansion along the New Silk Road.
Through interviews, digital ethnography, and church document analysis, this project investigates whether these movements represent a new wave of mission, refuge, or opportunistic migration. It also examines how Chinese Christian communities—local-led, diaspora-led, and mainland-led—are establishing churches, forming networks, and contributing to Uganda’s religious landscape.
By foregrounding faith within the BRI framework, this study expands the conversation beyond economics and geopolitics to include the spiritual dynamics of Chinese global mobility. Ultimately, it aims to shed light on how the BRI is not only reshaping trade and infrastructure but also the religious map of the Chinese world, with implications for the future of world Christianity.
Experience
- FLOOPY FREEDOM 2017-PRESENT (WWW.FLOOPYFREEDOM.ORG); FOUNDER - MANAGER
- BIBLE SOCIETY OF IRELAND, JANUARY 2025- ON GOING; COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA MANAGER
- ALL NATIONS CONVOCATION JERUSALEM JULY-NOVEMBER 2022; INTERNATIONAL COORDINATOR
- UNITED KINGDOM EDUCATION CENTER UKEC, SEPTEMBER 2019-2021; MARKETING OFFICER & TRANSLATOR