Real change: Converting politics in Myanmar

VENUE

The dialogues in the series will be held in hybrid mode, i.e. in-person on the ANU Campus, and virtually on zoom.

IN-PERSON: Institutes Boardroom, HC Coombs Extension Building, 9 Fellows Road, ANU, Acton, ACT, 2601.

ONLINE: Zoom. Please select the relevant ticket, in-person or online, according to your preferred attendance mode.

For more information on the MRC 2025 Dialogue Series please see the MRC website or contact the Chair:

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

Real change: Converting politics in Myanmar

'Real change': This was the NLD’s pitch to voters in Myanmar’s 2015 election, a moment that came to symbolise the formal end of military rule. A vote for the party was a vote for a radical break from the past—or so the slogan implied in a familiar rhetorical move. At the same time, the offer of 'real change' was at the heart of local Pentecostal efforts to evangelise to Buddhists: the promise that Jesus would fundamentally transform their lives. Entering an emerging public sphere, believers shared the gospel in the hope of sparking a 'revival' in a largely Buddhist nation. Today, in the wake of the 2021 coup and ahead of Myanmar’s sham election this December, this paper revisits the 2015 election, tracking the work of 'real change' across interrelated registers—from everyday conversations between Pentecostals and Buddhists, to international discourses about the 'transition' that was ostensibly 'saving' the country. Unpacking the combination of anticipation and skepticism that 'real change' engenders, this seminar will highlight that attention to discourses and practices of religious conversion might offer insight into the work of the real in the political life of Myanmar and elsewhere.

Speaker

Michael Edwards is a Lecturer in Anthropology at the University of Sydney whose research focuses on religious life, media ecology, and political change. His first book, Real Change: Myanmar and the Dissonance of Salvation, has been selected for the Atelier series at the University of California Press. His articles have appeared (or are forthcoming) in venues including JRAI, American Anthropologist and Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

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 May Co Naing