Myanmar Musings: Recent Episodes
Myanmar Musings
Myanmar Musings is the world's leading podcast with researchers and thinkers on issues relating to the Republic of the Union of Myanmar.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this show are those of the interviewees/guests and do not necessarily accord with those of the host or the Myanmar Research Centre.
Myanmar Musings is concluding after over 100 episodes and 10 years of production. The series will be moved off streaming platforms and onto the Internet Archive in the coming year. Thank you to all our listeners and guests.
We speak to Dr. Stéphen Huard, researcher at the French Institute of Research for Development, about his recently published book in the Asian Anthropologies Berghahn Books series, Calibrated Engagement: Chronicles of Local Politics in the Heartland of Myanmar. This is a detailed and historically informed ethnography in Gawgyi, a small village near Monywa, and will be an enjoyable read for anyone interested in Bama culture and the Dry Zone. It's also currently available via open access here: https://www.berghahnbooks.com/title/HuardCalibrated
In this episode we speak to Dr. Michael Dunford, recent graduate of the Australian National University, about his unique anthropology PhD thesis on the Ta'ang people and the tea they live with. Mike did his fieldwork in Northern Shan State and Northern Thailand, and is primed to launch off to a new job in Singapore. I'm sure you've heard of tea—but what about the Ta'ang? Listen in, to find out more!
In this episode we speak to Clare Hammond, author of the new book published by Allen Lane: On the Shadow Tracks: A Journey Through Occupied Myanmar. Clare travelled by train around most of Myanmar before the 2021 military coup, from the southern coast to the northern mountains, and tells stories of colonial legacies, forced labour, villages torn apart by railway construction, and forgotten dreams of railways that could have changed the nation. If you love train travel and train books, this is an absolute winner!
Clare will be speaking about her book in Thailand at the FCCT in Bangkok on July 31 and at Greenhouse in Chiang Mai on August 1. Don't miss out on seeing the author in person.
FCCT: https://www.facebook.com/events/437914689161000
Peasant insurgencies are not only moments of conflict and crisis, but also of politics and performance: they are sites of social reproduction, where identities are made and remade. Dr. Jonathan Saha, Professor of South Asian History at the Durham University, discusses two events of the "Hsaya San Rebellion" in relation to racial capitalism and communal geographies. You can read his articles here: https://doi.org/10.1080/00856401.2024.2303213 and https://doi.org/10.1093/hwj/dbac023.
What's the difference between a right and an opportunity in Burma, and how do people resist or refuse the blunt biopolitics employed by its military rulers? In this episode, Elliott Prasse-Freeman, Assistant Professer of Sociology and Anthropology at the National University of Singapore, discusses his new book Rights Refused: Grassroots Activism and State Violence in Myanmar, published by Stanford University Press, which investigates activists' lives in the years preceding the 2021 military coup, and after.
Christianity is a hugely important minority religion in Myanmar and many Christians there follow the Baptist denomination. In a new book, Dr. Alex Kaloyanides, Associate Professor in Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, looks at the Baptist mission to Burma through a number of holy objects, from 1813 until 2013. In this episode we discuss the book Baptizing Burma, Alex's approach to writing and her experience following along with visiting baptists on the 200th anniversary of the founding of the American Baptist mission to Burma.
Myanmar rulers and foreign experts often describe the country's economic reforms in the period following 2010 in glowing terms. In the book, Along the Integral Margin: Uneven Development in a Myanmar Squatter Settlement, author Stephen Campbell, Assistant Professor in the School of Social Sciences at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, takes readers into the lives of the labourers behind the much-lauded, yet terminally tragic, "transition", of the time leading to 2021. He discusses why Myanmar elites were beholden to modernisation theory, the nature of squatting, internal migration, debt and "informal" work at the edge of Yangon, based on fieldwork before the 2021 coup.
What is the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) and how does it sustain itself, after more than two years of existence as a revolutionary strategy? What are the expectations and challenges felt by CDM participants, who refuse to work for military-ruled institutions in Myanmar? Samuel Hmung, PhD Student at the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, at the Australian National University, discusses his ongoing doctoral work, and his separate research project into the CDM.
Dr Jared Bissinger, an independent development economist, talks off the back of his participation at the 2023 ANU Myanmar Update about the state of the Myanmar economy in 2023. Although some economic indicators have settled somewhat from the post-coup chaos, nearly all sectors appear to be in economic decline, and the ruling State Administration Council is rewinding or crippling most reforms made during 2011-2021 in order to further its rule at the expense of the average person, and the strength of the economy as a whole.
Gabrielle Palluch, author of The Opium Queen: The Untold Story of the Rebel Who Ruled the Golden Triangle, published by Rowman & Littlefield, joins the show to discuss the remarkable life of Olive Yang. Born in the Kokang region in the 1920s, Uncle Olive was an enigmatic and influential figure in the history of her ancestral region: brother and sister to royalty, potential CIA collaborator, maybe drug smuggler, almost-definitely arms trader, cattle dealer and sponsor of celebrity film stars... She lived quite a life, and Gabrielle has dedicated over 200 pages to trying to sort out the fact from the fiction.
In this episode we speak with Hunter Marston, PhD Candidate at the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs at the Australian National University and Adjunct Research Fellow at La Trobe Asia, about Myanmar's foreign policy and international relations in the context of the the overblown 'New Cold War' superpower environment, the Southeast Asia region as a whole, and in terms of the numerous actors inside Myanmar still vying for state power.
Why has the pro-democracy movement in Myanmar been so resilient, even in the face of a hostile regime? In this episode, Mai Van Tran, Postdoctoral Researcher at the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies and Department of Political Science, University of Copenhagen, discusses her research on urban Myanmar's protest movements and contentious politics. She unpacks how, in her words, “the long-term resilience of the urban pro-democracy movement (in Myanmar) is one of the most impressive, and puzzling, among all cases of collective activism under authoritarianism”.
What is the past and future of "ceasefire capitalism" for Myanmar's many vulnerable communities? Dr Kevin Woods, Fellow at the East-West Centre and Adjunct Assoiate Professor at the Department of Geography and Environment at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, discusses the connections between conflict, statebuilding, resource exploitation and more in this wide-ranging episode.
What is the past and future of "ceasefire capitalism" for Myanmar's many vulnerable communities? Dr Kevin Woods, Fellow at the East-West Centre and Adjunct Assoiate Professor at the Department of Geography and Environment at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, discusses the connections between conflict, statebuilding, resource exploitation and more in this wide-ranging episode.
What is the best way to teach the histories of Burma? How can students learn in an open and accepting environment and how can teachers work to promote reconciliation in the classroom? In this episode, teacher and anthropologist of education Dr. Rosalie Metro discusses her textbook on Burmese history, co-authored with Aung Khine, pedagogy and political values in the classroom. Read her latest piece on Tea Circle here.
Cold War conflict had many permutations, by proxy or otherwise, in Southeast Asia. In one little-known 1960-61 incident, the armies of the Union of Burma and the People's Republic of China cooperated to dispel Kuomintang (KMT) troops that had settled in Shan State following the conclusion of the Chinese civil war. Dr Ngeow Chow-Bing of the University of Malaya joins us today to talk about this unusual military cooperation. In doing so, he throws light on what was to become known as the notorious 'Golden Triangle' area of narcotics armies from the 1970s on.
Jessica Mudditt, an Australian author and journalist, discusses her recent book Our Home in Myanmar: Four Years in Yangon, in which she recounts working at a range of journalism outfits in the country, including the infamous military-owned and influenced Global New Light of Myanmar.
Danny Fenster and Ben Dunant, two foreign journalists with Frontier Myanmar, reflect on leaving the country following the 2021 coup. Danny was arrested and spent 176 days in prison on bogus charges when he tried to fly out of Myanmar last year.
What is the state of the media in Myanmar after the failure of "transition" and the realities of military subjugation? Are the roles of "local", "exile" and "international" media outlets changing? What about citizen journalists and visions for a federal democratic future? In this episode media veteran Lisa Brooten, Associate Professor in the College of the Arts and Media at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, tackles the big picture questions on the media in Myanmar in 2022.
This syndicated episode from Asia Research News is a dive into how decentralisation could lead the way to democracy and peace in Myanmar. The podcast is a result of the Knowledge for Democracy Myanmar (K4DM) Initiative, jointly supported by Global Affairs Canada and the International Development Research Centre, the IDRC.
Myanmar Research Centre member Mike Dunford announces that on December 9 and 10, the MRC at the Australian National University will be holding an online workshop for early career researchers from Myanmar and for those whose research focuses on Myanmar. To apply, send a current CV and a 300 word (maximum) summary of your current research project(s) to myanmar.research@anu.edu.au with the subject "ECR workshop". For more info check https://www.facebook.com/ANUMRC/.
In this syndicated episode from the Asia Research News podcast, we hear experts put forth their views on the connections between gender equality, democracy activism and anti-coup resistance in Myanmar today. This podcast is thanks to the Knowledge for Democracy Myanmar (K4DM) initiative, jointly supported by Global Affairs Canada and the International Development Research Centre. Featured experts include NGO Director May Sabe Phyu, researchers Professor Ismene Gizelis and Dr. Alexandre Pelletier, and think tank director Dr. Min Zaw Oo.
What is the state of the education system in Myanmar and how has it been reformed in the last decade? What does the 1 February military coup mean for education reform going forward? Marie Lall, Professor of Education and South Asian Studies at the UCL Institute of Education, and author of the recent UCL Press book: Myanmar’s Education Reforms: A Pathway to Social Justice?, downloadable here, addresses these questions and more.
The ah nah: Conversations with Myanmar podcast was launched in July this year, featuring long-form interview discussions with people inside and outside Myanmar who oppose the 1 February military coup. In this episode, ah nah hosts Suzanne and Ruth discuss their new show, their favourite episodes, and explain how the coup turned them from foreign teachers in Myanmar into activists.
What is the connection between White & Burman/Bama privilege, industrial development, conflict and capitalism? How can different class and ethnic groups build solidarity in the current crisis? Is class politics ultimately behind ethnic politics in Myanmar – or can it solve it? Dr. Stephen Campbell and Dr. Elliott Prasse-Freeman discuss their recent article in the Journal of Contemporary Asia, “Revisiting the Wages of Burman-ness” to argue that materiality and capitalist exploitation are crucial to understanding the history and development of ethnicity in Myanmar.
The coup has complicated the analysis of Myanmar's 2020 general elections, but Constant Courtin, of the University of British Columbia, is digging deep into the role and performance of the USDP during its time in opposition. How do we make sense of the NLD/USDP victories and defeats in the 2020 election results? This seminar was recorded as part of the Myanmar Update 2021 conference at the ANU last month.
Dr Tomas Martin discusses prisons in Myanmar in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the military coup and argues for conceptualising crisis as their enduring, perpetual context. This seminar was recorded as part of the Myanmar Update 2021 conference last month.
Three economists from the Overseas Development Institute delve into assessing the sustainability of the Myanmar economy's current development model in light of COVID-19's effects, both domestically and in other nations, and in the current political context. This is a recorded seminar from the Myanmar Update 2021 conference held in July 2021.
Dr Andrea Passeri of the University of Malaya and Hunter Marston, PhD Candidate at the Australian National University, go over the foreign policy of the Myanmar state from 2010-2020 and what characterises the country's approach to non-alignment, in particular. This seminar was recorded at the Myanmar Update 2021 conference.
The garment manufacturing sector in Myanmar has strengthened with the political reforms of the last decade, offering jobs to millions of Myanmar workers. However, it has suffered huge contractions in the wake of the 1 February military coup, with associated indiscriminate murder of protesting workers and factory arson. In this talk given to the Myanmar Update 2021 conference, Sara Tödt of RMIT University talks about young garment workers and their experiences in an extremely tumultuous year.
What is the microfinance ecosystem in Myanmar, what has it been achieving and how has it endured the COVID-19 crisis and the devastating military coup of 1 February? In this seminar at the Myanmar Update 2021 conference, Dr Russell Toth from the University of Sydney gives a detailed overview of all this and more. If you're microfinance minded, don't miss it.
In this recording of a seminar from the ANU Myanmar Update 2021 conference last month, Dr Sophie Gaudet, an independent expert, discusses a recent survey undertaken on child and maternal nutrition in Yangon, Myanmar, including important findings for future public healthcare in Myanmar.
In this presentation, Afke Jager, Myanmar Country Director for Innovations for Poverty-Action-Myanmar, talks about recent survey data on how people in Myanmar are strategising under the complex political and healthcare crises ongoing in the country. This is a recording of a talk given to the Myanmar Update 2021 conference at the Australian National University.
Dr Gerard McCarthy of the National University of Singapore discusses a mixed-methods research project conducted by himself and three colleagues on how state aid assistance meant to ameliorate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic was perceived by people before the 1 February coup. He also answers questions on the coup and ethnic politics.
In this recorded seminar from the Myanmar Update 2021 conference, Dr Mie Mie Kyaw, an independent expert on water and fishery resources in Myanmar, talks about how the COVID-19 pandemic and infection control responses have affected people's livelihoods on the Ayeyarwady River.
What can other nations and multilateral institutions realistically expect to achieve with their responses to the 2021 military coup and the ongoing crimes of the Tatmadaw in Myanmar? Nicholas Coppel, adjunct associate professor at Monash University and former Australian ambassador to Myanmar, delivers straight talk on the limitations of most actors - besides China - in this July 16 seminar held at the Myanmar Update conference at ANU.
What is the difference between "functional state failure" and "state collapse", and what is the likelihood of a reduction in conflict in Myanmar's near future? Nicola Williams, PhD Candidate at the Australian National University, talks through how she sees the current contested state of the "State" in Myanmar, primarily stressing the importance of the politics of ethnicity. This seminar was recorded as part of the Myanmar Update 2021 conference held at the Myanmar Research Centre.
Salai Samuel Hmung, Masters graduate of the Australian National University, shares his thoughts on the formation of People's Defence Forces and the varied politics of ethnic armed organisations in the wake of the 1 February military coup. This talk was recorded at the Myanmar Update 2021 conference held at the ANU earlier in July, 2021.
How do we make sense of all the boomeranging signs and memes associated with the anti-coup movement in Myanmar? Dr Elliott Prasse-Freeman of the National University of Singapore takes us on a semiotic tour of engaged digital ethnography in this recording of a July 15 seminar held at the Myanmar Update 2021 conference.
In this recording from a panel at the Myanmar Update 2021 conference, Michael Dunford, PhD Candidate at ANU, quickly breaks down the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) in relation to what he sees as the ongoing military occupation of Myanmar and colonial political domination of the Tatmadaw. He argues the heterogeneity of the CDM is its key strength and analytical value.
This episode is a recording of the Economic Update delivered at the Myanmar Update 2021 conference on July 17. Edgard Rodriguez of the International Development Resource Centre convenes talks by Vicky Bowman, of the Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business and Dr Htwe Htwe Thein, Associate Professor in International Business at Curtin University. They discuss the coup, tax, cronies and much more, with a Q&A session rounding off the seminar.
In this recorded seminar from the Myanmar Update conference on July 16, 2021, Salai Lian Hmung Sakhon, Minister of Federal Union Affairs in the National Unity Government, talks to Dr Jane Ferguson of the Australian National University about federalism, youth, human rights and the future of Myanmar. He outlines why the Tatmadaw must step away from politics and touches on some of the many complex issues involved.
In this recorded seminar, Dr Morten Pedersen, Senior Lecturer in International and Political Studies at the University of New South Wales, Canberra (ADFA), delivers this year's Political Update to the Myanmar Update 2021 conference held at the Australian National University from July 15-17. Morten touches on the reasons behind the 1 February military coup, the future of Myanmar politics and conflict, and fields several questions from the audience.
In this recording of a live event from July 15, 2021, Khin Zaw Win, ex-political prisoner, writer, analyst and director of the Tampadipa Institute, sits in conversation with Professor Nicholas Farrelly, Head of Social Sciences at the University of Tasmania, to cap off the first day of the Myanmar Update 2021 conference. The pair discuss the state of play in Myanmar politics and some prospects for the future, leading into an extended Q&A session.
This episode is a recording of Yanghee Lee's July 15 keynote address to the Myanmar Update 2021 conference held at the Australian National University. Professor Yanghee Lee is former UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar as well as a developmental psychologist and professor in the faculty of Child Psychology and Education at Sungkyunkwan University. In this episode she discusses the current situation in Myanmar in relation to the 1 February military coup, the COVID-19 pandemic and human rights.
Mark July 15-17 in your diaries, because the Myanmar Update 2021 is coming to town - online, and completely free. The three-day conference features special guest speakers, cutting edge research presentations and Q&A sessions with experts on the current situation in Myanmar. In this episode, Dr Justine Chambers and Michael Dunford from the Australian National University discuss the conference, guest speakers and panel presentations we will enjoy next week.
It is often commented that Facebook is the internet in Myanmar. What does this mean in a country with so many ethnic armed groups, unending civil war, and now another military coup and targeted executions of civilians in major towns and cities? Sparked by a recent article in the Journal of Contemporary Asia, we are joined by two of its authors Stein Tønnesson, of the Peace Research Institute Oslo, and Min Zaw Oo, Executive Director of the Myanmar Institute for Peace and Security to discuss Facebook, conflict and resistance in Myanmar.
There's a great new film festival packed full of Myanmar content online for streaming right now. Hear all about it in this conversation with two organisers of the Burma Spring Benefit Film Festival: Jeanne Marie Hallacy, a film-maker and co-founder of Kirana Productions, and Kenneth Wong, author, translator and teacher of the Burmese language at the University of California, Berkeley.
What exactly is torture in Myanmar and how is it anti-political? Dr Nick Cheesman, Fellow in the Department of Political and Social Change at the Australian National University, discusses his views on how to best understand torture, torturers and torture survivors with intellectual honesty. Nick has spent years reading and analysing torture testimonies from neighbouring Thailand and Myanmar.
Myanmar has a bunch of interesting movie theatres dotted across not only the major cities but also provincial towns and regions. Philip Jablon, Creator of the Southeast Asia Movie Theatre Project, a written and photographic archive of free-standing movie theatres, has carried out extensive research on this cinematic legacy and comes on the show to discuss the architecture, heritage and magic of Burma's movie theatres.
It is a dynamic time in Myanmar politics, with suffering on the streets and conflict at the highest levels - including over the very Constitution of the country. In this podcast Melissa Crouch, Professor in the Faculty of Law and Justice at the University of New South Wales, discusses her book on the 2008 Constitution and analyses recent events in light of this divisive document.
Join Tom Kean and Ben Dunant of Frontier Myanmar, the premier English-language journalism organisation in the country, as they discuss the changes in Myanmar's politics since February 1 through the lens of press freedom. It's a whole new world for the people and the press in Myanmar, as the tug of war continues between the people and the military - between the smartphone and the gun.
What is the future of rebel politics in Myanmar? Talking three weeks after major political convulsions at the centre of the Myanmar state, Dr David Brenner, Lecturer at the Department of International Relations at the School of Global Studies, University of Sussex, discusses his book Rebel Politics: A Political Sociology of Armed Struggle in Myanmar’s Borderlands and how ethnic armed organisations may respond to or be impacted by the ongoing civil-military turmoil across the country.
Join us for an elaboration on collaborative museum exhibitions with Dr Georg Noack, Senior Curator for South and Southeast Asia, at the Linden-Museum in Stuttgart, Germany. Georg worked with the Kayan and Kayaw communities in Kayah State to develop a new exhibition both in person and online that focuses on the region’s many material cultures. Visit in your browser here: https://sammlung-digital.lindenmuseum.de/en/chapter/the-karenni-region-and-the-linden-museum_3527.
Recorded on January 13, 2021, this episode focuses on the life of U Dhammaloka, a fascinating figure in Myanmar history. Born on the Emerald Isle and ordained in the Golden Land, U Dhammaloka's story and contribution to Burmese and imperial politics and global Buddhism is the subject of a new book by Dr Alicia Turner, Associate Professor of Humanities and Religious Studies at York University, named The Irish Buddhist: The Forgotten Monk Who Faced Down the British Empire, co-authored with Laurence Cox and Brian Bocking.
Burmese Prince Myingun is an enigmatic historical figure, at once a rebel who enacted a murderous coup, an exile who never gave up hope and a trickster who moved at the interstices of colonial Southeast Asia at the turn of the 20th century. Dr Penny Edwards, Associate Professor in the Department of South & Southeast Asian Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, is in the final stages of publishing a book about Prince Myingun and joins us to colour in his historical record.
What is Myanmar's culture of giving and how does the gift work to maintain social bonds in rural Myanmar? Dr Hiroko Kawanami, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Politics, Philosophy and Religion at Lancaster University, UK, discusses her recently published book with Bloomsbury Academic Press, “The Culture of Giving in Myanmar: Buddhist Offerings, Reciprocity and Interdependence” (2020).
Millions of Burmese workers in Thailand are routinely underpaid, overworked and predated upon by a coercive police force. What is the labour regime under which these workers try to earn their livelihoods and how can we better understand the challenges they face? Dr Stephen Campbell, Assistant Professor in the School of Social Sciences at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore discusses his stimulating book Border Capitalism, Disrupted: Precarity and Struggle in a Southeast Asian Industrial Zone.
This is a recording of a webinar held by the Australian National University's College of Asia and the Pacific and the Myanmar Research Centre on November 19, 2020. Two Myanmar experts at the ANU convene and moderate a discussion with four researchers on the controversies and consequences of the 2020 elections, touching on results for each parliament, systemic issues, party attitudes and prescriptions for likely political futures in the country.
Anthropology! What is it good for? In this episode four PhD students of Anthropology at the Australian National University discuss their research into Burmese tea, tomatoes, beer and of course, the people of Myanmar. This is a special collaborative episode with The Familiar Strange, an Anthropology-focused podcast of the ANU, and hosted by Alexander Emile D'Aloia.
Elections expert Su Mon Thant and Ben Dunant, Managing Editor at Frontier Myanmar, converse on whether the upcoming 2020 elections represent a backwards step for the institutionalisation of democracy in the country. They focus on the UEC, political parties and the effects of COVID-19 in this deliberative and wide-ranging discussion.
Come curious and hungry to this podcast and you won't be disappointed! From delectable bamboo shoots to deliciously pungent akhuni, from changing rice beer traditions to expanding fruit wine markets, Dr Dolly Kikon, an Anthropologist at the University of Melbourne, discusses how Naga fermentation cultures and foodways are changing and connected to regional as well as global stories and histories in upland South and Southeast Asia.
Naga society is undergoing significant change as a consequence of ceasefires and the easing of conflict in north-east India. Matt Wilkinson, a PhD candidate at the University of New South Wales, discusses his thesis on the Naga people and their homelands, emphasising how gender is important for understanding these changes and their concomitant reactions.
How do Bama Buddhists conceptualise social relations, prestige and gender difference? In an episode primed for outsiders trying to understand mainstream Myanmar culture, Professor of Anthropology at the University of Texas, Ward Keeler, discusses his book The Traffic in Hierarchy: Masculinity and its Others in Buddhist Burma, published in 2017 by the University of Hawai’i Press.
Many ethnic parties are running for seats in the 2020 elections, pushing for increased influence and rights. Will ethnic parties fare better in this election compared to 2015? What challenges are they facing? This episode is a recording of a seminar held by the Swedish Burma Committee on September 23rd with panelists Ying Lao of the Salween Institute and Ko Sai Ye Kyaw Swar Myint of PACE Myanmar, two civil society organisations based in Yangon, and moderated by Alexander Jäätmaa.
In the lead up to the elections this November, we cannot hope to understand the beliefs and actions of civilian political elites in Myanmar without grasping the underlying meanings that they attach to the word democracy - according to our guest Dr Tamas Wells, Research Fellow in the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Melbourne. Tamas wrote his PhD thesis on the diverging narratives of democracy within Myanmar, and those held by international actors, in the lead up to the 2015 national elections. He talks with us about the discourses of development and democracy among Burmese and international actors.
This is a syndicated episode from the Asia Research News Podcast discussing the Doing Research in Myanmar report on how social science research is produced, distributed and used in the country. We hear from U Zaw Oo at the CESD, previously known as the MDRI, and from others at the GDN, ANU and elsewhere. The full report can be viewed here.
Who were the Baptists and why are they important to Burmese history? In our 50th episode we talk about the nineteenth-century American Baptist mission to Burma with Dr Alexandra Kaloyanides from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
The borderland of Samut Sakhon province in Thailand has recently had a huge majority of its workers hailing from Myanmar. How did the Burmese end up in such large numbers there in particular, and how does Thai society view their presence? Dr Puttaporn Areeprachakun (Jip), Lecturer in the Department of Geography at Chulalongkorn University, joins us to discuss her ethnographic research on these multi-ethnic, majority Buddhist, Myanmar migrant workers.
How does Wa State, a polity ostensibly within Myanmar, thrive relatively peacefully, yet independently of the formal Myanmar State? Dr Hans Steinmüller, Associate Professor in Anthropology at the London School of Economics and Political Science, sketches a picture of Wa State and life within its politics of care and capture.
More than 800,000 Rohingya people have been forced from their homes and the country in which they were born by the Burmese military. Disturbingly, this has happened in such force only after Myanmar's hybrid regime instituted partial civilian government in 2010-11. Kirt Mausert, PhD Student at the University of California, Berkeley, outlines why and how the Rohingya community of Myanmar have been rendered stateless and disenfranchised.
Who will win the November 8, 2020 elections in Myanmar and what is at stake in an NLD or USDP victory? What should we be paying attention to over the next three months as the COVID-affected campaign heats up? All this and more in our first "big picture" elections podcast with Ei Ei Toe Lwin, Chief Election Correspondent and Ben Dunant, Managing Editor, both at Frontier Myanmar - and Dr Gerard McCarthy, Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Asia Research Institute at the National University of Singapore.
Dr Charlotte Galloway from the Australian National University discusses the art of the ancient capital city Bagan, the Ananda temple, ongoing research, tourism and development there, and how universities and museums in Myanmar are re-engaging with the international community to nurture and further explore Bagan as a new UNESCO World Heritage site.
Nats are hugely powerful, influential spirit beings believed to inhabit the trees, towns and buildings of Myanmar. Dr Sally Bamford discusses the history, folk tales and art history of nats, including how they are connected to Buddhism yet retain their animist roots in many ways.
In our annual Press Freedom episode, journalists Tom Kean and Ben Dunant discuss how COVID-19 is the final "nail in the coffin" for traditional advertising-based media in Myanmar and evaluate the government's and the media's responses to the pandemic.
Mike Dunford, PhD Candidate in Anthropology at the Australian National University, takes us on a whirlwind tour of all things tea leaf salad, a uniquely Myanmar dish that is still ragingly popular. Who grows tea in Myanmar, how, where? How do you ferment tea? What is the difference between tea for eating and tea for drinking? It's all here!
Did you know you can do more than just drink tea in tea shops? You can even do research! In this episode Dinith Adikari discusses why tea shops are fascinating spaces in Yangon including their past, present and future.
What is the state of the tourism industry in Myanmar, 2019? We hear a lot about "zero-dollar tourism" in the media, but is it really such a problem? In this episode we chat about this, about over-tourism, under-tourism and sustainability with the Directors of two major tour operators here in Yangon: Edwin Briels, Managing Director of Khiri Travel and Bertie Alexander Lawson, Managing Director of Sampan Travel.
The Lisu are one of the many cultural groups making up the nation-state we call Myanmar. But information on this group - over a million-people strong - is not widely known in the English language. Michele Zack has written a monograph on the Lisu titled "The Lisu: Far From the Ruler" and discusses Lisu politics and culture in this episode.
If you "own" a home in Yangon, you may not have the full rights to your property that you believe you have. In this episode Izzy Rhoads, a recent PhD graduate at King's College, London, discusses the colonial legacies and new developments in Yangon's property sector.
In this episode Dr Thomas Patton, Assistant Professor at the Department of Asian and International Studies, City University of Hong Kong provides us with an overview of the Burmese weizza, otherwise known as wizards with superpowers. He recently published a book titled The Buddha’s Wizards: Magic, Protection, and Healing in Burmese Buddhism.
There are now several groups within Myanmar pushing for women’s rights - but this was not always the case. Dr Elisabeth Olivius, Senior Lecturer in Peace & Conflict Studies at Umea University explains her research on diaspora gender activists and issues relating to their return to Myanmar.
How did the Japanese Empire become so strong as to drive the British Empire from Burma in World War II? Dr Ryan Hartley, Associate Professor at Tokyo’s Tohoku University, explains the sequence of events leading to this momentous change. In doing so he considers that Burma was a "global blindspot" for the complacent British Empire. Ryan's articles on Japan: 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻'𝘀 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗧𝘄𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗿𝘆 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗕𝘂𝗿𝗺𝗮 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 (𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀) 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗮 𝗙𝗼𝗲, 𝟭𝟵𝟬𝟯–𝟭𝟵𝟰𝟯: 𝗔 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗕𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗽𝗼𝘁 https://muse.jhu.edu/article/711254 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/jbs.2018.0002 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻’𝘀 𝗿𝘂𝘀𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗷𝘂𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗕𝘂𝗿𝗺𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: 𝗔 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁-𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟭 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 “𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀” https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0967828X18813504 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0967828X18813504
What challenges are Myanmar's journalists facing for the year ahead in 2019 and how has the past year fared for press freedom? Two journalists from Frontier Myanmar, Tom Kean and Ben Dunant, make the case for cautious optimism amid conspicuous ongoing crackdowns and the recent jailing of practitioners Kyaw Soe Oo and Wa Lone.
Dr Carol Ann Boshier, Research Associate at SOAS at the University of London and author of the book Mapping Cultural Nationalism: The Scholars of the Burma Research Society, 1910–1935, discusses the work of the Burma Research Society in the early twentieth century and how hegemonic Bama ideas were prioritised in its output.
Dr Yi Li, Associate Lecturer at Aberystwyth University, discusses her book Chinese in Colonial Burma: A Migrant Community in a Multiethnic State. How did Burma fit into the worldviews of settler Chinese during the British colonial period, especially in the context of the much larger Nanyang migration waves occurring at the time? How did Chinese migrants choose to come to Yangon over other British colonies in Southeast Asia, such as the Straits Settlements? And is it true that the Chinese in colonial Burma were merchants, with a predisposition for vice and a lack of interest in politics?
What is cultural evolution and what can it tell us about religion in Myanmar? Dr Mark Stanford, a postdoctoral researcher in cognitive anthropology at the University of Oxford, discusses his ongoing research into the cognitive and cultural foundations of religion and morality in Myanmar.
Who are the Sino-Burmese of Yangon and how do they live in the city? Dr Jayde Lin Roberts, a US Fulbright Scholar and author of the book "Mapping Chinese Rangoon", discusses this vibrant community and how they continue to make their own place in the wider metropolis.
Kay Mastenbroek, a veteran documentary filmmaker, reflects on using video media stories and testimonials to foster national reconciliation between perpetrators of the military regime and those who have suffered. Kay is part of the 1988-2010 History Project which aims to create a series of films dealing with these issues. You can watch two episodes of the series here: https://youtu.be/1AqtyehPN4o https://youtu.be/eC3rB5ZRP20
What are UN Special Rapporteurs on Human Rights and why have they had such a problematic time of it in Myanmar? In this episode David Mathieson discusses the human rights situation in Burma and outlines the history of rapporteurs to the country, from 1992 to the present.
What is the difference between traditional and exotic vegetables in Myanmar and why are traditional vegetables important? Thaw Ni Ni Zaw, Senior Research Associate at the University of New England, discusses her Horticulture Master's thesis research undertaken in villages outside Pyinmana in central Myanmar.
How and why have the last twelve months been so challenging for journalism in Myanmar? Is the country backsliding dangerously? Tom Kean and Sean Gleeson of Frontier Myanmar dissect trends and discuss the situation for press freedom in 2018.
What does "heritage" mean in downtown Yangon in 2018 and what are the forces at play in "developing" or "preserving" the city? David Ney discusses his Masters thesis research, which involved in-depth interviews with residents of the city's old buildings, in the latest episode of Myanmar Musings.
Who grows tomatoes in Myanmar, what is their nature as a commodity and how is aquaculture and land connected to ethnicity? Anthea Snowsill, PhD Candidate in Anthropology at the Australian National University, asks these questions and more as she sets off for 18 months of fieldwork at Inle Lake.
How is the incumbent government managing the symbolic recognition of Myanmar's non-Bama inhabitants? Cecile Medail, PhD Candidate at the University of New South Wales, discusses her thesis and the case study of Bridgegate: the naming of a bridge linking Mawlamyine and Chaungzon townships after Myanmar’s independence hero General Aung San, which took place against mass Mon popular opinion and fierce protests.
What kind of power relations govern community in Bama Buddhist villages? Stephen Huard, a PhD Candidate in Anthropology at the University of East Anglia, discusses how he sees "headmen" and "great men" gaining and maintaining their privileged positions, with insight derived from long ethnographic fieldwork near Monywa.
Who was General Ne Win? Dr Robert Taylor, a long-time political scientist and historian of Myanmar who has held positions at numerous universities, discusses the recent Burmese translation of his 2015 book, "Ne Win: a Political Biography", and provides his opinion on the man who oversaw Myanmar's epic economic decline.
What are the pitfalls when learning Burmese from scratch, especially as a native English speaker? Nance Cunningham, a Canadian Public Health Specialist who has lived in Myanmar for over a decade, gives advice to English speakers for attaining functional Burmese and working with interpreters. Nance has long taught and facilitated language courses and has also authored/published several Burmese dictionaries and bi-text stories.
An exploration of the history and construction of the Yangon-Mandalay Expressway including a guide to driving on the most dangerous road in Myanmar. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this show are those of the interviewees/guests and do not necessarily accord with those of the host or the Myanmar Research Centre.
How is “refugee revitalisation” affecting cities and why is the dominant discourse problematic? Who profits and how from the gendered labour of the Rohingya? In this thorough conversation, Shae Frydenlund, PhD candidate in Geography at the University of Colorado – Boulder, discusses indigeneity, labour and translocal connections between the Rohingya in Myanmar and their counterparts in Colorado. In doing so she focuses on the insidious ways that capitalism seeks to extract surplus value from the unwaged labour performed by refugee women. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this show are those of the interviewees/guests and do not necessarily accord with those of the host or the Myanmar Research Centre.
What is the current state and what is at stake at Inle Lake, Myanmar’s pre-eminent tourist attraction and unique cultural and environmental treasure? Today we speak with Martin Michalon, PhD Candidate in Geography at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (L'École des hautes études en sciences sociales), about flows, issues and power relations at this physically shallow, but figuratively deep waterscape. Part one of a two-part episode. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this show are those of the interviewees/guests and do not necessarily accord with those of the host or the Myanmar Research Centre.
Part two of this two-part episode. Martin Michalon, PhD Candidate in Geography at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (L'École des hautes études en sciences sociales), focuses on tourism and globalisation at Inle Lake. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this show are those of the interviewees/guests and do not necessarily accord with those of the host or the Myanmar Research Centre.
Over 370,000 people have fled Myanmar in the last two weeks amidst a sea of suffering and misinformation. Oliver Slow, Chief of Staff at Frontier Myanmar, talks about recent developments in the unfolding humanitarian crisis in western Rakhine State and southern Bangladesh, calling in particular for observers and citizens to pay close attention to the evidence. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this show are those of the interviewees/guests and do not necessarily accord with those of the host or the Myanmar Research Centre.
What happens after "peace" is achieved in Myanmar? Assuming the success of Panglong 21, this episode goes into detail with Bobby Anderson, Research Associate at SOAS, University of London, on what post-peace processes will entail for the Republic. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this show are those of the interviewees/guests and do not necessarily accord with those of the host or the Myanmar Research Centre.
James Davies, PhD Candidate at the University of New South Wales, discusses his research into communal violence across Burma. He discusses the conceptual framework behind his thesis then focuses on the example of violence in the Sittwe region, employing security studies paradigms to try and understand dynamics there. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this show are those of the interviewees/guests and do not necessarily accord with those of the host or the Myanmar Research Centre.
Part two of this two-part episode focuses on gender and methodology in regards to the "Understanding Buddhist Nationalism" research project. We are joined by Dr Matthew Walton, Aung San Suu Kyi Senior Research Fellow in Modern Burmese Studies at St Antony’s College, and Dr Ma Khin Mar Mar Kyi, Aung San Suu Kyi Gender Research Fellow and Research Associate in Anthropology at the University of Oxford. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this show are those of the interviewees/guests and do not necessarily accord with those of the host or the Myanmar Research Centre.
What exactly is Buddhist nationalism, what are its gender dimensions and how does it impact on minority/cultural discrimination? The Oxford University "Understanding Buddhist Nationalism" research project aims to answer this and more, and in this episode we speak with its two chief researchers: Dr Matthew Walton, Aung San Suu Kyi Senior Research Fellow in Modern Burmese Studies at St Antony’s College, and Dr Ma Khin Mar Mar Kyi, Aung San Suu Kyi Gender Research Fellow and Research Associate in Anthropology at the University of Oxford. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this show are those of the interviewees/guests and do not necessarily accord with those of the host or the Myanmar Research Centre.
Dr Jonathan Saha, Associate Professor of Southeast Asian History at the University of Leeds, goes into detail on milk, animal history and racism in colonial Burma. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this show are those of the interviewees/guests and do not necessarily accord with those of the host or the Myanmar Research Centre.
In this episode with Dr Melissa Crouch, Senior Lecturer at the University of New South Wales, we discuss Islam and Muslims in Myanmar, touching on the challenges they face; the current state of and future for scholarship on this diverse demographic; and the use of Islamic personal law in Myanmar in particular. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this show are those of the interviewees/guests and do not necessarily accord with those of the host or the Myanmar Research Centre.
In this episode Alice Dawkins, a graduate of the Australian National University currently on a long-term study program in Myanmar, discusses the inimitable Professor Ting Tso-Shao and the state of Kengtung, Shan State, in the 1950s. Kengtung was not merely a "frontier" region of then "democratic" Burma, but was also a core polity deeply intertwined with Chinese and pan-Asian history. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this show are those of the interviewees/guests and do not necessarily accord with those of the host or the Myanmar Research Centre.
How can we reconcile rural development with agricultural development? Dr Mark Vicol, Postdoctoral Research Associate in the School of Geosciences at the University of Sydney, discusses the Feeding Myanmar research project (https://feedingmyanmar.wordpress.com/) and his fieldwork in Chin State on this episode of Myanmar Musings. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this show are those of the interviewees/guests and do not necessarily accord with those of the host or the Myanmar Research Centre.
What exactly can't you report on in Myanmar, and why? And what happened recently at the Myanmar Times with its exodus of foreign reporters? Two Australian journalists discuss these issues in part two of this two-part episode. Our guests are Thomas Kean, Editor in Chief, and Sean Gleeson, Digital Editor, both from the weekly magazine Frontier Myanmar. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this show are those of the interviewees/guests and do not necessarily accord with those of the host or the Myanmar Research Centre. It is recommended you read Sean's article on the Myanmar Times which features in much of the discussion. http://frontiermyanmar.net/en/the-muzzling-of-the-myanmar-times
What changes have occurred to media freedom in Myanmar since 2010 and what is the current state of play in the media landscape of 2017? Two Australian journalists from the weekly magazine Frontier Myanmar discuss these issues in part one of this two-part episode. Our guests are Thomas Kean, Editor in Chief, and Sean Gleeson, Digital Editor. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this show are those of the interviewees/guests and do not necessarily accord with those of the host or the Myanmar Research Centre.
How can the history of the Rakhine and Rohingya peoples help us understand why the Rohingya are so discriminated against in Myanmar? Kirt Mausert, Senior Program Trainer at the Institute for Political and Civic Engagement, lays out a landscape of misunderstandings that he says contribute to the ongoing violence, statelessness and persecution of the Rohingya in Myanmar. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this show are those of the interviewees/guests and do not necessarily accord with those of the host or the Myanmar Research Centre.
What are moral worlds and how do young Karen people in Hpa-an navigate them? Justine Chambers, PhD Candidate at the School of Culture, History and Languages at the Australian National University, explains how the youth of today are managing expectations and opportunities unique to their time and place. Justine has previously worked with Karen refugees in Mae Sot, Thailand and recently completed 16 months fieldwork in Kayin State. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this show are those of the interviewees/guests and do not necessarily accord with those of the host or the Myanmar Research Centre.
In this podcast Chit Win discusses his doctoral research which questions the role of Myanmar’s legislature (the Hluttaw) during the country’s transition from military rule. Chit Win is a PhD candidate at the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs at the Australian National University (now graduated, 2017). Prior to this he was a diplomat for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Nay Pyi Daw, being posted to Jakarta and Tel Aviv. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this show are those of the interviewees/guests and do not necessarily accord with those of the host or the Myanmar Research Centre.
In this podcast Gerard McCarthy discusses his research on welfare provision in Myanmar. Gerard is a Doctoral Fellow at the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs at the Australian National University and has recently published a working paper with the International Growth Centre on this topic. You can find his paper here: http://www.theigc.org/project/statebuilding-and-eco-systems-of-welfare-in-myanmar/ Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this show are those of the interviewees/guests and do not necessarily accord with those of the host or the Myanmar Research Centre.