Is the theological discourse of digital theology primarily a topic of interest among the privileged, particularly those residing in the Global North? If the response to this question is affirmative, it not only exhibits contextual bias, but also places limitations on its discourse. If the response is dissenting, how do individuals from marginalised groups, particularly the Indigenous communities from Northeast India (i.e., a representative of marginalised groups from the Global South), contribute to the theological discourse in question? In response to these questions, and as an exploratory research project, I argue that examining how colonial ideologies were introduced, enforced, and received by Indigenous communities in NEI can provide insights into developing digital theology from the perspective of Global South. In doing so, I provide insights into the digital theology discourse, which has been primarily developed and shaped by researchers from and in the Global North.

In this paper, I will use the term “decolonial” as a methodology to consider the historical experience of Indigenous communities during the colonial period, specifically in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Then, a further attempt will be made to highlight their lived experiences as marginalised groups in respect to the current digital divide in comparison to other states in India, with a focus on how NE states are neglected by the central government. The lived experience of the digital divide in online education and online theological education will be examined as an entry point for the discussion, providing deeper insights into their experiences of neglect and marginalisation.