How Many Burmas Is Enough? Sidelining Western Imaginaries for Understanding Burma is an Important Step, But Competing Indigenous Imaginaries Also Present Problems

Charney, Michael W.

Abstract

The Western imaginary of Burma has dominated international thinking about Burma for so long partly because of the advantages Western countries have in terms of funding and power and the longevity of the educational institutions. Contemporary Burma also has the disadvantage of domestic political violence. Some Burmese scholars advocate not producing knowledge about Burma while the current revolution continues, although this raises questions about whether Burma should also not have been researched during the half-century of civil war as well. Moreover, there are other audiences than the Burmese one(s) that need for various reasons (and not all nefarious) information about the country for whom just shutting down the knowledge tap about the country is not an acceptable option.

Citation

Charney, M. W. (2023). How Many Burmas Is Enough? Sidelining Western Imaginaries for Understanding Burma is an Important Step, But Competing Indigenous Imaginaries Also Present Problems. [Blog post]

• Digital Artefact Type: Blog Post
• Acceptance Date: Jun 29, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Jul 1, 2023
• Publication Date: Jul 1, 2023
• Deposit Date: Jul 7, 2023
• External URL: https://forsea.co/how-many-burmas-is-enough-sidelining-western-imaginaries-for-understanding-burma-is-an-important-step-but-competing-indigenous-imaginaries-also-present-problems/