Myanmar Musings

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...

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 mor...

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...

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...

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 Stanfo...

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,  A...

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 behin...

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...

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...

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...

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 resili...

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...

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 unu...

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 Unive...

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 "E...

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...

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 , addr...

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, "Rev...

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 las...