The "Other" Karen in Myanmar Ethnic Minorities and the Struggle without Arms

by Thawnghmung, Ardeth Maung

• ISBN13: 9780739168523
• ISBN10: 0739168525
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-12-30
• Publisher: Lexington Books

Summary

The '¬SOther'¬ Karen in Myanmar looks at the '¬Sother'¬ or '¬Squiet'¬ minorities, who are members of ethnic groups associated with well-known armed resistance organizations, but who pursued non-violent approaches to promote their individual and collective interests. This is the first in-depth study to uncover the existence and activities of the '¬Sother'¬ Karen and analyze the nature of relationships with their '¬Srebel'¬ counterparts and the state authorities.  It also discusses other ethnic armed organizations that have experienced similar situations and assesses their implications for inter-ethnic relations, negotiations with state authorities and political reform. Most previous studies have focused on violent aspects of ethnic relations and on ethnic armed organizations, such as the Karen National Union (KNU) in Burma, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MNLF) in the Philippines, and the LTTE in Sri Lanka. However, even among these minorities which are locked in armed conflicts, the majority of people have shunned armed resistance and sought to remain '¬Üquietly'¬" beyond the struggle and pursued non-violent approaches to promote their individual and collective interests in the face of authoritarian, governments.  This study, which sheds light on the lives and growing political significance of non-armed, non-insurgent members of ethnic minorities in Burma, draws heavily on opinion surveys and open-ended interviews among Karen diaspora (among individuals who lived a minimum of 20 years in Burma), '¬Squiet Karens'¬ who live inside Burma, KNU officials, personnel, and soldiers, and Karen refugees and IDPs who are currently living in Thai-Burma border areas. These interviews, which covered approximately two hundred respondents, have been conducted since 2002. It is mainly directed toward social scientists, historians, humanitarian workers, policy makers, and practitioners, and non-specialist ordinary audience who are interested in Southeast Asian/Burmese politics and society, comparative politics, identity politics, ethnic conflict, social movements, conflict resolution, and political reform. 

Author Biography

Ardeth Mating Thawnghmung is associate professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. She is the author of Beyond Militant Resistance: The Non-insurgent Members of Ethno-national Groups in Myanmar, The Karen Revolution: Diverse Voices, Uncertain Ends, and Behind the Teak Curtain: Authoritarianism, Agricultural Policies and Political Legitimacy in Rural Burma.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. ix
Introduction Growing up in Burma-a Personal Account	p. xiii
The International Phenomenon of the "Silent Minority"	p. xvii
Theme, Approach, and Method of the Book	p. xx
Acronyms	p. xxxi
Who are the "Other" or "Quiet" Minorities?	p. 1
The Political Significance of the "Other" Minorities	p. 3
Bringing the "Other" Minorities into the Study of Ethnic Politics	p. 7
The Emergence of the Karen Ethno-nationalistic Movement	p. 19
The Construction of Karen Ethno-nationalist Identities	p. 20
The "Martial Race"	p. 31
The Myaungmya Incident	p. 34
The Case for an Independent Karen State	p. 37
The "Martial Race" Returns	p. 42
Saw Ba U Gyi and the Insein Ceasefire Talks	p. 46
KNU in Twenty-First Century Burma	p. 53
Conclusion	p. 58
Kawthoolei Karen: A Fragmented Constituency	p. 63
Government-Controlled zones	p. 65
Rebel-Controlled and Contested Zones	p. 74
The Refugees	p. 80
The Diaspora	p. 84
Conclusion	p. 85
The "Rebel" and the "Accommodator"	p. 91
The Early Stages of the Armed Resistance Movement	p. 93
Profile of Prominent Karen Political Leaders at KNU and KYO in 1945-1949	p. 101
The Later Stages of the Armed Rebellion	p. 105
Divide and Rule	p. 107
Places of Residence	p. 109
Competing Identities	p. 116
Lack or Perceived Lack of Alternatives	p. 117
Conclusion	p. 121
The "Other" Ethno-nationalities in Myanmar/Burma	p. 127
A Changing Political Landscape in SPDC and Post-SPDC Periods	p. 128
The "Other" Nationalities in Burma/Myanmar	p. 130
Self-employed, Low-income Earners and Small-, Medium-, and Large-scale Enterprise Owners	p. 131
Government and Public Sector Employees	p. 132
Private Sector Employees	p. 133
Professionals Working for International Organizations	p. 133
Members of Local NGOs and Community-based Organizations	p. 134
Members of Government-organized Nongovernmental Organizations (GONGOs)	p. 135
Members of Pro-government Parties	p. 135
Members of Opposition Parties	p. 137
Civilians Under the Control of Armed Organizations in Ceasefire and Contested Areas	p. 138
Three Patterns of Civilian Politics among Ethnic Minorities	p. 139
Activities Supporting the Status Quo	p. 139
Activities Transforming or Undermining the Status Quo	p. 143
Promoting Ethnic Identity and Addressing Humanitarian Needs	p. 147
Conclusion	p. 153
Conclusion: The "Other" Ethnonationalities in Comparative Perspective	p. 161
Competing Identities	p. 161
Divide-and-Rule Strategies	p. 168
The Role of the "Other" Minorities in Ethnic Politics	p. 172
Conclusion	p. 176
Bibliography	p. 178
Index	p. 191
About the Author	p. 199
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