"Other" Karen in Myanmar

Ardeth Maung 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 (2011), The Karen Revolution: Diverse Voices, Uncertain Ends (2008), and Behind the Teak Curtain: Authoritarianism, Agricultural Policies and Political Legitimacy in Rural Burma (2004). Her areas of specialization are on Southeast Asian and Burmese politics, ethnic politics, identity politics, political economy and comparative politics.

• ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroductionGrowing up in Burma—a personal accountThe international Phenomenon of the “Silent Majority”Theme, Approach, and Method of the BookChapter 1: Who are the “Other” or “Quiet” Minorities?Who are the “other” or “quiet” Minorities?The Political Significance of the “Other” MinoritiesChapter 2: The Emergence of the Karen Ethno-National MovementThe Construction of Karen ethno-nationalist identitiesSaw Ba U Gyi and the Insein Ceasefire talksKNU in the 21st CenturyConclusionChapter 3: Kawthoolei Karen: A Fragmented Constituency Government-Controlled zonesRebel-controlled and Contested ZonesThe “Refugees”The DiasporaConclusionChapter 4: The “Rebel” and the “Accomomodator”The Early Stages of the Armed Resistance MovementThe Later Stages of the Armed RebellionConclusionChapter 5: The “Other” Ethnonationalities in Myanmar/BurmaA changing Political Landscape in SPDC and Post-SPDC PeriodsThe ‘other’ Nationalities in Burma/MyanmarThree Patterns of civilian Politics among Ethnic minoiritesConclusionChapter 6: The “other” Ethnonationalities in Comparative perspectiveCompeting IdentitiesDivide and Rule StrategiesThe Role of the “other” Minorities in Ethnic PoliticsConclusionBibliographyIndexAbout the Author

This study of the Karens of Burma has several strengths. First, an indigenous Karen who was educated initially in Myanmar/Burma and then abroad wrote it; today, she teaches political science in a US university. Second, Thawnghmung (Univ. of Massachusetts, Lowell) brings a new approach to the subject by concentrating on the Karen "others." Internal wars between the Karens and the state have been ongoing for more than six decades; however, the author's focus is on the Karens who have not joined in the fighting. As a result, the study is different from most of the writings about the second-largest minority in Burma. Third, she devotes a good deal of attention to a comparative discussion of the Karens and ethnic minorities in other countries around the world. Because of these differences from most of the literature on Burma and the Karens, this study is new and original. Moreover, it is well written and thoughtful and should find readers beyond the usual Burma and area specialists because it is placed in a comparative context that offers fresh ideas and information for political comparativists to consider. Summing Up: Recommended.