Challenges in Researching Local Administrative Structures in Post-coup Myanmar

k4dmteam

2 years ago

We are excited to announce our next event in the 2023 Seminar Series, titled “𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭-𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐩 𝐌𝐲𝐚𝐧𝐦𝐚𝐫” by professor 𝐀𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐰𝐧𝐠𝐡𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐠 on 2nd November (7) PM Myanmar Time.

Institute of Human Rights and Democratic Governance – IHRDG, Spring University Myanmar – SUM

Abstract:

This talks sheds light a variety of ways in which local authorities have responded to the 2021 military coup in Myanmar and the consequent political turmoil that followed. It addresses the following questions:

What are the different ways in which local authorities have responded to the military’s coup, and what explain variations in their responses?
To what extent do local authorities play a role in preventing and escalating conflict in post-coup period? and
How are local authorities perceived by local constituents, military authorities, and members of the local resistance movement?

My research findings show that local authorities’ responses have varied depending on the types of armed actors who control the areas, the general level of resistance against the junta, and local authorities’ political affiliation, practices, and relationships with local populations. Responses have also changed over time in light of the evolving political situations. This talk also focuses on a variety of coping strategies used by local authorities to minimize threats against their physical safety and to secure their individual or/and community’s wellbeing in the post-coup period, and discuss ethical, methodological, and practical challenges in conducting research in a difficult and highly polarized political environment.

About the speaker

Ardeth Maung Thawnghmung is Professor of Political Science Department at University of Massachusetts Lowell. Her areas of specialization are on Myanmar/Southeast Asian politics, ethnic politics, and political economy. She has written numerous books and articles on ethnic politics and political economy in Myanmar, including her most recent co-authored book with Jacques Bertrand and Alex Pelletier titled Winning by Process: The State and Neutralization of Ethnic Minorities in Myanmar (Cornell University Press, 2022) and her single-authored book Everyday Economic Survival in Myanmar (University of Wisconsin Press, 2019). Ardeth served as Political Science Department Chair from 2013 to 2021 and interim Director for the Peace and Conflict Studies Program in the 2020-21 academic year. She has received fellowships and research grants from International Peace Research Association Foundation (2021-2022), Fulbright Public Policy Fellow (2020-2021), Fulbright-Hays Faculty Research Abroad (2010-2011), Asian Research Institute at the National University of Singapore, East West Center Washington DC, and the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute of Southeast Asian studies in Singapore.