Chia Longman

I am a Professor of Gender Studies at Ghent University (Belgium), where I founded the Centre for Research on Culture and Gender (CRCG). In 2014, I co-founded and served as the inaugural director of the inter-university Master's programme in Gender and Diversity Studies in Flanders. 

My primary research interest lies in qualitative studies of culture, religion, and spirituality. My PhD and postdoctoral work focused on the agentic potential of traditionalist religion, with particular attention to women's agency in minority communities in Western Europe. This included research on Haredi and Orthodox Jewish women, as well as pro-hijab activism among Muslim women.

Subsequently, I conducted fieldwork on spiritual well-being and self-care practices in women’s circles and festivals, exploring these grassroots spaces as post-secular sites of healing and feminist affect. I am currently developing research on healing and resilience in the context of post-separation abuse, and I am also interested in the experiences of solo mothering within academia.

In my teaching, which includes courses in feminist anthropology, I am exploring contemplative and creative pedagogical approaches—such as autoethnography—grounded in feminist pedagogy.

My research aligns with the objectives of CHaI, recognizing that health is deeply contingent upon the eradication of gender-based and intersectional violence, as well as the structural inequalities that are psycho-socially reproduced across cultural contexts. Acknowledging the limitations and failures of conventional systems—including policy frameworks, traditional health and social services, and the criminal and legal justice apparatus—I am interested in how certain spiritual, subjective, and mental wellbeing practices, enacted individually, collectively, and creatively, offer transformative insights into healing and justice, particularly for women and gender minorities.

Email: chia.longman@ugent.be

Affiliation:  Ghent University, Belgium