Yanan Rahim N. Melo is a writer, composer, and theologian from Cagayan de Oro, Philippines
Curriculum Vitae
Music
Born and raised in Cagayan de Oro, Philippines, Yanan is currently pursuing his M.Div. at Princeton Theological Seminary (PTS), where he engages with the intersections of theology, politics, and the arts. His academic journey began at Moody Bible Institute, where he earned a B.A. in Theology, studying race and postcolonial theology. This foundational work has informed his current focus at PTS on political theology and decolonial theory, for which he received The Archibald Alexander Hodge Award in Systematic Theology and The Edward A. Dowey Jr. Award for Excellence in Reformation Theology.​
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Yanan's forthcoming master's thesis, The Philippines: A Political Theology, investigates how political theology upholds forms of postcolonial "sovereignty" that sanctify state violence while reinforcing colonial domination. To accompany this thesis, he is crafting a neoclassical album, Palimpsests, which serves as a meditation on the possibilities that lie beyond sovereignty as such.
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Outside academia, Yanan is an accomplished writer with essays published in Sojourners, Bittersweet Monthly, Christianity Today, Space on Space, Geez Magazine, Interfaith America, and more. He serves as the Managing Editor for the Center for Barth Studies and as the Magazine Editor for the Center for Asian American Christianity, both esteemed research centers at Princeton Seminary. His involvement in broader discussions of faith and society is evident in his role as a Global Interfaith and Climate Change Fellow with Faith For Our Planet and Duke University. Currently, as a This Common Life Fellow at the Scholarship for Religion and Society, he leads a cohort exploring possibilities for theological method as a mode of poetry.
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Yanan's creativity extends beyond the academy and the written word. Through his musical project Yanan & Siegfried, he bridges the gap between theological mysticism and artistic curiosity. Crafting a genre-defying neoclassical sound, Yanan draws from a rich tapestry of influences, from post-rock to hip-hop and house music. His music crafts liminal spaces, suspended in the tension of possibility, inviting listeners to explore alternative modes of being that push beyond the limits of what is actual.
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He currently resides in Princeton, New Jersey, with his wife Christine.
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Connect with Yanan:
Email, yananrahim@gmail.com
Bandcamp, Yanan & Siegfried
Newsletter, Sacred Sonder
Instagram, @yananrahim
LinkedIn, /yananrahim