Belonging and resistance in Myanmar's higher education: Insights from before and after the coup

What does it mean to belong within Myanmar’s university spaces? In what ways can educational spaces cultivate forms of agency and collective identity? And how have these experiences been reshaped in the aftermath of the coup? This talk traces the historical engagements of Myanmar’s universities in struggles for social justice, highlighting their longstanding role as sites of political imagination, contestation, and resistance. By examining the relational and spatial dimensions of belonging in higher education, the discussion situates universities as key arenas where aspirations for alternative futures have been articulated, often in tension with authoritarian rule. Drawing on voices collected during long-term fieldwork, the talk offers insights into the enduring struggle of education against authoritarianism and reflects on student-led initiatives that continue to reconfigure educational practice. These initiatives, grounded in grassroots forms of knowledge-making and solidarity, may become crucial in shaping the country’s educational landscape when a new policy window for transformation eventually reopens.

Speaker

Licia Proserpio is a Junior Assistant Professor at the Department of History and Culture – University of Bologna (Italy) and Adjunct Professor at the School of Liberal and Media Studies at UPES (India). Her research explores the political dimensions of education, as well as the historical and contemporary roles of universities and social movements across Southeast and South Asia. In 2024, she released her first book, Resistance through Higher Education: Myanmar Universities’ Struggle against Authoritarianism, published by Bristol University Press. Currently, Licia is PI of the project 'areUsafe – Are Universities Safe Spaces' financed by the Italian Ministry of University and Research. The project aims to understand access and participation in higher education for forcibly displaced students in South and Southeast Asia.

Chair

Zaw Yadanar Hein, zaw.hein@anu.edu.au

The ANU Myanmar Research Centre Dialogue Series is a conversation concerning current research on Myanmar aimed at providing scholars with an opportunity to present their work, try out an idea, advance an argument and critically engage with other researchers. International and Myanmar researchers from any discipline are invited to contribute. The Dialogue Series is particularly seeking to provide a space for early career researchers wishing to receive constructive feedback. Each dialogue is one hour long, including a 30-minute presentation followed by a 30-minute Q&A. As a hybrid series, the Dialogues are presented in both virtual and in-person format, hosted by the ANU Myanmar Research Centre.

Image by Dave Hopkins

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