Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Myanmar

Description

After decades of mismanagement and direct military rule, Myanmar’s contested transition to a more democratic government has rapidly shifted the outlook in this significant Southeast Asian nation. Since 2011, the removal of Western sanctions and new foreign investments have resulted in high rates of economic growth and an expanding middle class, albeit from a very low base. In a result unthinkable a few years earlier, former political prisoner and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), formed a national government in early 2016. However, despite significant political and economic reforms since the liberalisation process commenced, the transition to civilian rule remains constrained by the military’s 2008 Constitution, which guarantees that it operates unfettered by civilian oversight. As a result, although some ethnic conflicts have abated, others continue to fester and new conflicts have erupted. With a daunting task ahead the NLD government has made some progress in removing the vestiges of repressive military-era laws but many remain untouched and some of the practices of the new government provide unwelcome reminders of its authoritarian history. This timely Handbook describes the political, economic, and cultural dimensions of this crucial period of transition in Myanmar. It presents explanations for contradictory trends, including those that defy some of the early narratives about the comprehensive transformation of Myanmar. The Handbook also considers the impact of major environmental, strategic, and demographic trends which help underscore that Myanmar’s development will be an ongoing task. In addition to introductory and concluding chapters by the editors, the body of the Handbook is divided into seven core sections: • Fundamentals • Spaces • Cultures • Living • Governance • International • Challenges Written by an international team of scholars, with a mix of world-leading established academics and talented emerging researchers, the Handbook provides a rigorous scholarly overview of Myanmar’s politics, economics, and society. As Myanmar opens to Western businesses and government agencies, this is an invaluable reference book that will provide a foundation for further research and offer the first port of call for scholars, students, and policy makers working on Myanmar and Asia. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents List of figures List of tables List of contributors List of acronyms Notes on language Acknowledgements Introduction 1 Explaining Myanmar in flux and transition Part I Fundamentals 2 The state 3 The defence services 4 Democracy 5 Ethnicity and identity Part II Spaces 6 The capital 7 Urban 8 Rural 9 Borderlands 10 Cyber-spaces 11 Anomalous spaces Part III Cultures 12 Languages 13 Religion 14 Arts 15 Public discourse 16 Exiles 17 Youth Part IV Living 18 Political economy 19 Agriculture 20 Banking and finance 21 Foreign direct investment and trade Part V Governance 22 The executive 23 Legislature 24 Judiciary 25 Civil society 26 Education 27 Health Part VI International 28 The world 29 Regional 30 Neighbourhood 31 International non-governmental organisations and advocacy 32 International law and inter-governmental organisations 33 International assistance Part VII Challenges 34 Peace and reconciliation 35 Democracy and human rights 36 Gender 37 Nation-building 38 Class and inequality 39 Environment and natural resources Conclusion 40 Myanmar futures Index