The Hermeneutics of Suffering in African Women’s Theology: A Case Study of Widow Experiences in South South Nigeria

This doctoral study develops a feminist African hermeneutics of suffering grounded in the lived theological experiences of widows in South South Nigeria, focusing on Delta, Bayelsa, and Cross River states. Widowhood in many South South communities involves extreme suffering including mourning rites that violate physical dignity, disinheritance practices, social ostracism, and profound spiritual anxiety. African women's theology and feminist biblical hermeneutics provide the primary theoretical resources, supplemented by trauma theology and gender studies. Employing a participatory qualitative methodology, the study engages fifty widows in deep listening sessions, theological reflection circles, and narrative interviews across twelve communities in the three states. Participants co-develop theological interpretations of their suffering, identifying biblical narratives, psalms of lament, and resurrection themes as generative resources for resistance, survival, and hope. The study makes several original contributions: an empirically grounded taxonomy of widow theological hermeneutics in South South Nigeria, a proposed protocol for church-based widow support that integrates theological formation with practical advocacy, and a critique of dominant theodicy frameworks that perpetuate rather than alleviate widow suffering. The research calls on the Nigerian church to adopt a formal theological position against dehumanising widow practices and to train clergy in gender-responsive pastoral care. Keywords: African women's theology, suffering hermeneutics, widowhood, South South Nigeria, feminist theology