Paths not taken and obscured: Re-historicising Rohingya exclusion and citizenship for the '135 national races'

Please note this event is online only.

Paths not taken and obscured: Re-historicising Rohingya exclusion and citizenship for the '135 national races'

Popular responses to the 2021 coup have generated exciting new possibilities for inter-ethnic and inter-religious solidarity. Many have acknowledged the problems of Burman Buddhist chauvinism. Some have issued apologies for the Rohingya genocide, among them leading politicians, student unions, and street demonstrators. Promises have also been made, including an NUG commitment to granting the Rohingya full citizenship. Yet, as prominent voices have also warned, there remains an urgent need for new ways of thinking that break fundamentally with the long-running exclusionary racial policy. This talk aims to support such efforts. It argues that a crucial step is developing a new history of citizenship in Myanmar. Most accounts have focused on the mythology of '135 national races' as an effect of colonial reification and the exclusion of Rohingya as resulting from Ne Win’s 1982 citizenship law. This talk introduces new evidence for a different account, in which the 'national races' category remained ambiguous, multiple, and included Rohingya for decades—and was only finally closed off as part of Myanmar’s post-socialist transformation in the early 1990s. The talk concludes by reflecting on how the history it presents can contribute to discussions of citizenship and inclusion in a new Myanmar—while also anticipating potential grim new consequences of a future under any reconsolidated military rule.

Speakers

Dr Matt Schissler is an anthropologist and historian studying religion, violence, and technology. A Myanmar specialist, he has worked in and on the country for nearly two decades, including eight years as a member of local human rights and other civil society organisations. Matt is a Lecturer in Buddhist Studies at the University of Melbourne. He holds an MA and PhD in Anthropology from the University of Michigan and an MSt in International Human Rights Law from Oxford.

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