Burma

Non-Fiction Reviews
“Baptizing Burma: Religious Change in the Last Buddhist Kingdom” by Alexandra Kaloyanides
18 July 20235 October 2023
The impact of missionaries around the world has been widely condemned by anthropologists, historians and medical professionals. They have been accused of suppressing indigenous languages, religious and social practice, disrupting countries’ social fabrics and prohibiting contraception. Moreover, missionaries were, on the whole, stalwart defenders of European colonialism. However, that does not mean they are unworthy…
Read More “Baptizing Burma: Religious Change in the Last Buddhist Kingdom” by Alexandra Kaloyanides
Non-Fiction Reviews
“Negotiating Borders and Borderlands: The Indian Experience”, edited by Gorky Chakraborty and Supurna Banerjee
15 July 202315 July 2023
Negotiating Borders and Borderlands, edited by Gorky Chakraborty and Supurna Banerjee, delves into the intricate dynamics of India’s borders and the everyday experiences of those living in its borderlands. It features a diverse collection of articles contributed by various authors, aiming to analyze and portray how borders have influenced the destiny of countries and their…
Read More “Negotiating Borders and Borderlands: The Indian Experience”, edited by Gorky Chakraborty and Supurna Banerjee
Podcast
Podcast with Amitav Acharya, author of “Tragic Nation Burma: Why and How Democracy Failed”
4 May 2023
In mid-April, Myanmar’s military bombed a village in the country’s northwest, killing over a hundred people in what’s been considered the deadliest attack in the now two-year civil war in the country: The result of the Myanmar military’s coup in February 2021.
Read More Podcast with Amitav Acharya, author of “Tragic Nation Burma: Why and How Democracy Failed”
Podcast
Podcast with Kaamil Ahmed, author of “I Feel No Peace: Rohingya Fleeing Over Seas and Rivers”
27 April 2023
The Rohingya population, from Myanmar’s Rakhine State, are a community almost living entirely in exile, whether in refugee camps in Bangladesh, or working on boats throughout the Indian Ocean. The Kutupalong refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, is now the world’s largest.
Read More Podcast with Kaamil Ahmed, author of “I Feel No Peace: Rohingya Fleeing Over Seas and Rivers”
Podcast
Podcast with Oliver Slow, author of “Return of the Junta: Why Myanmar’s Military Must Go Back to the Barracks”
6 April 2023
The Myanmar coup on February 1, 2021 shocked the world, and ended an opening that had fostered hopes for democratization and economic development. The Tatmadaw, Myanmar’s military, reversed a decade’s worth of changes, and sparked a civil conflict that has continued for two years since the coup.
Read More Podcast with Oliver Slow, author of “Return of the Junta: Why Myanmar’s Military Must Go Back to the Barracks”
Non-Fiction Reviews
“I Feel No Peace: Rohingya Fleeing Over Seas and Rivers” by Kaamil Ahmed
28 February 20232 March 2023
In this remarkable debut, Kaamil Ahmed tells the story of the displacement of the Rohingya from their home in Myanmar’s western Rakhine state and their ongoing search for refuge. This is not a new story, but Ahmed puts the spotlight firmly on the Rohingya perspective and allows them to tell their own story in their…
Read More “I Feel No Peace: Rohingya Fleeing Over Seas and Rivers” by Kaamil Ahmed
Non-Fiction Reviews
“Southeast Asia: A History in Objects” by Alexandra Green
26 February 202328 February 2023
Half a year on from the publication of India: A History in Objects, the British Museum and Thames & Hudson have released a new volume of the same vibrant format on Southeast Asia, an endeavor at least as ambitious as that for the Subcontinent: “it is hardly possible to be comprehensive,” as Alexandra Green modestly…
Read More “Southeast Asia: A History in Objects” by Alexandra Green
Non-Fiction Reviews
“Return of the Junta: Why Myanmar’s Military Must Go Back to the Barracks” by Oliver Slow
18 February 2023
After the Myanmar military seized power on 1 February 2021, the country has been in the midst of a humanitarian crisis The military, who have been a major disruptive force in Myanmar politics ever since independence in 1948, is the focus of Oliver Slow’s new book, Return of the Junta: Why Myanmar’s Military Must Go…
Read More “Return of the Junta: Why Myanmar’s Military Must Go Back to the Barracks” by Oliver Slow
Non-Fiction Reviews
“Tragic Nation Burma: Why and How Democracy Failed” by Amitav Acharya
25 January 2023
Since the coup on 1 February 2021, Burma (the author’s term) has seen a humanitarian crisis in all regions of the country, with mass displacement and a myriad of human rights abuses. What happened in Burma and how the situation deteriorated to this point is the topic of Amitav Acharya’s new book Tragic Nation Burma:…
Read More “Tragic Nation Burma: Why and How Democracy Failed” by Amitav Acharya
New Non-Fiction Books
New Book Announcement: “Waves of Upheaval in Myanmar: Gendered Transformations and Political Transitions”, edited by Jenny Hedström and Elisabeth Olivius
23 January 2023
This is the first comprehensive account of the multifaceted processes of gendered transformation that took place in Myanmar between 2011 and 2021, and which continues to shape events today. The period began with the end of direct military rule and the transition to a hybrid, semi-democratic regime, precipitating far-reaching political, economic and social changes across…
Read More New Book Announcement: “Waves of Upheaval in Myanmar: Gendered Transformations and Political Transitions”, edited by Jenny Hedström and Elisabeth Olivius
Podcast
Podcast with Erin Murphy, author of “Burmese Haze: US Policy and Myanmar’s Opening—and Closing”
2 June 2022
Myanmar—or Burma, if that’s the name you prefer—is one of a small set of countries: nations that, despite natural bounty and a vibrant population, remain underdeveloped due to conflict, economic mismanagement and international isolation.
Read More Podcast with Erin Murphy, author of “Burmese Haze: US Policy and Myanmar’s Opening—and Closing”
New Fiction Books
“Burmese Haze: US Policy and Myanmar’s Opening—and Closing” by Erin Murphy
15 April 2022
In Burmese Haze (a reference to George Orwell’s classic novel), former US official Erin Murphy gives a personalized history of the past fifteen years of Myanmar history, with particular focus on, if not always from the perspective of, US policy towards this often opaque Southeast Asian country. Murphy was herself in the thick of it,…
Read More “Burmese Haze: US Policy and Myanmar’s Opening—and Closing” by Erin Murphy

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