The changing roles of churchwomen in Mizoram (1904-1994) A study of Mizoram Presbyterian Church Synod

Abstract

The British philanthropist Robert Arthington (1823-64) left a fortune that funded the evangelical work of the Baptist Missionary Society and the London Missionary Society. It was Arthington’s bequest that led to missionary work among the Mizo people in 1901. During the British colonial period, which ended in 1947, Welsh Christian and Baptist missionaries evangelized among the Mizo people. Today almost 90 percent of Mizos belong to the Presbyterian Church, the Baptist church, or to one of the many indigenous Christian churches. It is impossible to comment on the contemporary position of Mizoram Presbyterian Church women without first reflecting on their indigenous activities and status. Past representations of Bible women and the challenges they encountered for the mission work under the strict rules of chieftains paint them as nothing more than the appendages of men. These representations, I believe, are distortions of their actual roles and positions. This case study challenges the notion that the key to empowerment is women’s economic status. In this case, patriarchies– Western patriarchy combined with indigenous Mizo patriarchy – collaborated in according women a secondary status in the new religion