Myanmar Democracy

Students can study any of the articles listed below. Write a 1-page essay on what you learned and email it to HumanistMutualAid@gmail.com. In your essay, discuss the three most important ideas that you learned and share your own reflections, thoughts, and reactions. You can write about as many of the articles as you wish.

OR - you can submit an essay on any topic of your choice concerning the Myanmar struggle.

“Myanmar’s Pro-Democracy Movement” — Kai Ostwald & Kyaw Yin Hlaing
A survey of the modern pro-democracy movement, its pillars (mass protests, CDM, NUG/CRPH), and challenges.
https://kyotoreview.org/issue-31/myanmars-pro-democracy-movement/ Kyoto Review of Southeast Asia

“Myanmar’s Coup d’état and the Struggle for Federal Democracy and Inclusive Government” — Anna S. King
Analysis of the first year after the 2021 coup, examining civil disobedience, formation of shadow bodies, and the push for federal governance.
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/13/7/594 MDPI

“Why Burma’s Democratic Forces Are Winning” — Damon Wilson
A commentary on how democratic resistance is making gains, the role of external support, and the nature of the conflict.
https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/online-exclusive/why-burmas-democratic-forces-are-winning/ Journal of Democracy

““Living With” Revolution: The Everyday Experiences of Young Revolutionaries in Myanmar” — J. Chambers
Focuses on how young activists experience, internalize, and “live with” the ongoing revolutionary moment.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00472336.2024.2359373 Taylor & Francis Online

“Introduction: Revolution and Solidarity in Myanmar” — J. Chambers
An interpretive piece about the rhetorical and conceptual turn to “revolution” in describing Myanmar’s current moment.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00472336.2024.2371976 Taylor & Francis Online

“Movement escalation and mobilization for resistance” — P. Vrieze
Academic article tracing how state repression escalated the movement, and how armed tactics diffused across the movement.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0962629824001148 ScienceDirect

“The Root Causes of Myanmar’s Coup Go Deeper” — Ye Myo Hein (Wilson Center)
A paper (PDF) exploring structural and historical causes underlying Myanmar’s failed democratic transition and the coup.
https://www.wilsoncenter.org/sites/default/files/media/uploads/documents/2022-03-Myanmar_YeMyoHein.pdf Wilson Center

“Misunderstanding Myanmar through the lens of democracy” — D. Brenner
This essay critiques dominant framing around democracy and suggests more nuanced lenses for analyzing Myanmar’s crisis.
https://academic.oup.com/ia/article/100/2/751/7609297 OUP Academic

“Voices of Resilience: Stories from Myanmar’s Struggle for Democracy” — Salzburg Global
Personal accounts by Myanmar activists describing life under the regime and their hopes and challenges.
https://www.salzburgglobal.org/news/topics/article/voices-of-resilience-three-stories-from-myanmars-struggle-for-democracy salzburgglobal.org

“Myanmar’s Troubled History: Coups, Military Rule, and Ethnic Conflict” — CFR Backgrounder
While more of a background explainer than an “essay” per se, it provides a deeply researched narrative framing the democracy movement in historical context.
https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/myanmar-history-coup-military-rule-ethnic-conflict