In Search Of Burma

Author : Thant Myint-U
Publisher : W. W. Norton & Company
Page : 304 pages
File Size : 50,6 Mb
Release : 2019-11-12
Category : History
ISBN : 9781324003304

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The Hidden History of Burma: Race, Capitalism, and the Crisis of Democracy in the 21st Century by Thant Myint-U Pdf

How did one of the world’s "buzzy hotspots" (Fodor’s 2013) become one of the top ten places to avoid (Fodor’s 2018)? Precariously positioned between China and India, Burma’s population has suffered dictatorship, natural disaster, and the dark legacies of colonial rule. But when decades of military dictatorship finally ended and internationally beloved Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi emerged from long years of house arrest, hopes soared. World leaders such as Barack Obama ushered in waves of international support. Progress seemed inevitable. As historian, former diplomat, and presidential advisor, Thant Myint-U saw the cracks forming. In this insider’s diagnosis of a country at a breaking point, he dissects how a singularly predatory economic system, fast-rising inequality, disintegrating state institutions, the impact of new social media, the rise of China next door, climate change, and deep-seated feelings around race, religion, and national identity all came together to challenge the incipient democracy. Interracial violence soared and a horrific exodus of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees fixed international attention. Myint-U explains how and why this happened, and details an unsettling prognosis for the future. Burma is today a fragile stage for nearly all the world’s problems. Are democracy and an economy that genuinely serves all its people possible in Burma? In clear and urgent prose, Myint-U explores this question—a concern not just for the Burmese but for the rest of the world—warning of the possible collapse of this nation of 55 million while suggesting a fresh agenda for change.

Author : Caroline Courtauld
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 118 pages
File Size : 51,8 Mb
Release : 1984
Category : Burma
ISBN : UOM:39015008880760

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In Search of Burma by Caroline Courtauld Pdf

Author : Andy Brockman,Tracy Spaight
Publisher : The History Press
Page : 450 pages
File Size : 49,9 Mb
Release : 2020-06-01
Category : History
ISBN : 9780750995375

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The Buried Spitfires of Burma by Andy Brockman,Tracy Spaight Pdf

Rumours of buried Spitfires from the Second World War have spread around the world for seventy-five years. In April 2012, the press reported that the UK had negotiated an agreement with Myanmar for the recovery of twenty crated Spitfires, reportedly buried after WW2. Astonishingly the agreement came about through the single-minded determination of a farmer, David Cundall. Armed with a high-tech survey showing mysterious shapes under the surface of Yangon International Airport, David's expedition is equipped with JCB excavators. But instead of Spitfires, the team unearths a tale of fake history. The Buried Spitfires of Burma explores what happened next as David Cundall's dream unravelled over the course of a historical 'whodunnit' that spans seven decades and three continents. It follows one of the most bizarre stories since the sensational Hitler Diaries hoax.

Author : Thant Myint-U,Thant Myint-U.
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 300 pages
File Size : 45,5 Mb
Release : 2001-03-26
Category : History
ISBN : 0521799147

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The Making of Modern Burma by Thant Myint-U,Thant Myint-U. Pdf

"Burma has often been portrayed as a timeless place, a country of egalitarian Buddhist villages, ruled successively by autocratic kings, British colonialists and, most recently, a military dictatorship. The Making of Modern Burma argues instead that many aspects of Burmese society today, from the borders of the state to the social structure of the countryside to the very notion of a Burmese or Burman identity, are largely the creations of the nineteenth century, a period of great change, away from the Ava-based polity of early modern times, and towards the 'British Burma' of the 1900s. The book provides a sophisticated and much-needed account of the period, and as such will be an important resource for policy-makers and students as a basis for understanding contemporary politics and the challenges of the modern state. It will also be read by historians interested in the British colonial expansion of the nineteenth century."--BOOK JACKET.

Author : Emma Larkin
Publisher : Granta Books
Page : 240 pages
File Size : 46,6 Mb
Release : 2011-07-07
Category : Travel
ISBN : 9781847084552

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Finding George Orwell in Burma by Emma Larkin Pdf

In this intrepid and brilliant memoir, Emma Larkin tells of the year she spent travelling through Burma, using as a compass the life and work of George Orwell, whom many of Burma's underground teahouse intellectuals call simply "the prophet". In stirring, insightful prose, she provides a powerful reckoning with one of the world's least free countries. Finding George Orwell in Burma is a brave and revelatory reconnaissance of modern Burma, one of the world's grimmest and most shuttered dictatorships, where the term "Orwellian" aptly describes the life endured by the country's people. This book has come to be regarded as a classic of reportage and travel and a crucial book for anyone interested in Burma and George Orwell.

Author : Inge Sargent
Publisher : University of Hawaii Press
Page : 244 pages
File Size : 51,7 Mb
Release : 1994-08-01
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 0824816285

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Twilight over Burma by Inge Sargent Pdf

Just married and returning to live in her new husband's native land, a young Austrian woman arrived with her Burmese husband by passenger ship in Rangoon in 1953. They were met at dockside by hundreds of well-wishers displaying colorful banners, playing music on homemade instruments, and carrying giant bouquets of flowers. She was puzzled by this unusual welcome until her embarrassed husband explained that he was something more than a recently graduated mining engineer - he was the Prince of Hsipaw, the ruler of an autonomous state in Burma's Shan mountains. And these people were his subjects! She immersed herself in the Shan lifestyle, eagerly learning the language, the culture, and the history of the Shan hill people. The Princess of Hsipaw fell in love with this remote, exotic land and its warm and friendly people. She worked at her husband's side to bring change and modernization to their primitive country. Her efforts to improve the education and health care of the country, and her husband's commitment to improve the economic well-being of the people made them one of the most popular ruling couples in Southeast Asia. Then the violent military coup of 1962 shattered the idyllic existence of the previous ten years. Her life irrevocably changed. Inge Sargent tells a story of a life most of us can only dream about. She vividly describes the social, religious, and political events she experienced. She details the day-to-day living as a "reluctant ruler" and her role as her husband's equal - a role that perplexed the males in Hsipaw and created awe in the females. And then she describes the military events that threatened her life and that of her children. Twilight over Burma is a story of a great happiness destroyed by evil, of one woman's determination and bravery against a ruthless military regime, and of the truth behind the overthrow of one of Burma's most popular local leaders.

Author : J. Saha
Publisher : Springer
Page : 163 pages
File Size : 44,7 Mb
Release : 2013-02-04
Category : History
ISBN : 9781137306999

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Law, Disorder and the Colonial State by J. Saha Pdf

In this original study British rule in Burma is examined through quotidian acts of corruption. Saha outlines a novel way to study the colonial state as it was experienced in everyday life, revealing a complex world of state practices where legality and illegality were inseparable: the informal world upon which formal colonial power rested.

Author : Caroline Courtauld
Publisher : Airphoto International Limited
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 40,6 Mb
Release : 2013
Category : Burma
ISBN : 9622178324

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Myanmar by Caroline Courtauld Pdf

This fully revised and well illustrated 3rd edition of Burma intelligently evokes the magic and mystery of Burma, once the richest nation in Asia.

Author : Lian H. Sakhong
Publisher : Nordic Institute of Asian Studies
Page : 314 pages
File Size : 46,8 Mb
Release : 2003
Category : History
ISBN : STANFORD:36105124080917

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In Search of Chin Identity by Lian H. Sakhong Pdf

"Chinram was once an independent land ruled by local chieftains and following traditional Chin religion. This world was abruptly transformed in the early twentieth century, however, by British annexation and the arrival of Christian missionaries. As the Chin became increasingly related to Burmese independence movements, they began to articulate their own Christian traditions of democracy and assert a burgeoning self-awareness of their own national identity. In short, Christianity provided the Chin people with a means of preserving their national identity in the midst of multi-racial and multi-religious environments."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Author : Rosalie Metro
Publisher : Cornell University Press
Page : 283 pages
File Size : 48,9 Mb
Release : 2018-03-27
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 9781609092368

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Have Fun in Burma by Rosalie Metro Pdf

Adela Frost wants to do something with her life. When a chance encounter and a haunting dream steer her toward distant Burma, she decides to spend the summer after high school volunteering in a Buddhist monastery. Adela finds fresh confidence as she immerses herself in her new environment, teaching English to the monks and studying meditation with the wise abbot. Then there's her secret romance with Thiha, an ex-political prisoner with a shadowy past. But when some of the monks express support for the persecution of the country's Rohingya Muslim minority, Adela glimpses the turmoil that lies beneath Burma's tranquil surface. While investigating the country's complex history, she becomes determined to help stop communal violence. With Thiha's assistance, she concocts a scheme that quickly spirals out of control. Adela must decide whether to back down or double down, while protecting those she cares about from the backlash of Buddhist and Muslim extremists. Set against the backdrop of Burma's fractured transition to democracy, this coming-of-age story weaves critiques of "voluntourism" and humanitarian intervention into a young woman's quest for connection across cultural boundaries. This work of literary fiction will fascinate Southeast Asia buffs and anyone interested in places where the truth is bitterly contested territory.

Author : Anonymous
Publisher : BoD – Books on Demand
Page : 74 pages
File Size : 40,9 Mb
Release : 2024-01-05
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 9783385300866

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Bulletin: Report of a Trip to India and the Orient in Search of the Natural Enemies of the Citrus White Fly by Anonymous Pdf

Reprint of the original, first published in 1883.

Author : Andrew Selth
Publisher : Pacific Century Press
Page : 371 pages
File Size : 44,6 Mb
Release : 2002
Category : Burma
ISBN : 1891936131

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Burma's Armed Forces by Andrew Selth Pdf

"Selth's book will become a standard reference work. [It] is an encyclopedic, nuts and bolts analysis of the modern-day Tatmadaw...updat[ing] our understanding of th[eir] increasingly modernized armed forces." Critical Asian Studies "Selth's 25 years as a diplomat, strategic defence analyst, and academic has produced more subtle elements...[than a simple] confrontation between the movement for democracy and the all-powerful military, the Tatmadaw." John Graham, in The Canberra Times"This book is essential reading for any student of Burma, security in the Asia-Pacific region, China-India relations, or military and strategic priorities in Asia and the world. The key to coming to grips with modern Burma is to understand the country?s armedforces. Although it has dominated all aspects of Burmese life since the 1962 coup, there has been no comprehensive ordetailed study of the Tatmadaw as a military institution. Drawing on five years of research in Burma and beyond, including interviews with military specialists and commentators, Andrew Selth has written the first book on the inner workings of the Tatmadaw. Here is a scholarly and objective account of Burma?s strategic posture, its defense policies and threat perceptions; its military doctrine, defense expenditures, arms acquisitions, and combat capabilities. Here are chapters on Burma?s intelligence apparatus, and its suspected uses of chemical and biologicalweapons. Diagrams and maps illustrate the Tatmadaw?s organization, structure, and order of battle.The authorpays particular attention to the dramatic expansion and modernization of the Tatmadaw since the 1988 pro-democracy uprising and the secret role that countries like China have played in this process. There are valuable insights into the way the armed forces have attempted to govern Burma over the past 14years, their internal disputes, and how they see their future role. Finally, the book examines how the Tatmadaw might cope with a democratic government coming to power in Rangoon.?This study is unique in the literature and it is evident that it will be required reading for anyone seriously concerned with Myanmar, the Southeast Asia region, and indeed with the relationships between India and China. It is not only those observers of the Burmese scene who are in Mr. Selth?s debt, but also those involved in thestudy of the military in various societies who can learn much from this important volume. There are lessons of Burma/Myanmar applicable in relation to policies in other multi-ethnic states, in economic development, and in civil-military relations. Mr. Selth has given us much to muse on beyond the borders of that unfortunate country?. from the Foreword by David I. Steinberg

Author : Charmaine Craig
Publisher : Grove Press
Page : 359 pages
File Size : 44,6 Mb
Release : 2017-05-02
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 9780802189523

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Miss Burma by Charmaine Craig Pdf

“Craig wields powerful and vivid prose to illuminate a country and a family trapped not only by war and revolution, but also by desire and loss.” —Viet Thanh Nguyen, Pulitzer Prize–winning author Miss Burma tells the story of modern-day Burma through the eyes of Benny and Khin, husband and wife, and their daughter Louisa. After attending school in Calcutta, Benny settles in Rangoon, then part of the British Empire, and falls in love with Khin, a woman who is part of a long-persecuted ethnic minority group, the Karen. World War II comes to Southeast Asia, and Benny and Khin must go into hiding in the eastern part of the country during the Japanese occupation, beginning a journey that will lead them to change the country’s history. Years later, Benny and Khin’s eldest child, Louisa, has a danger-filled, tempestuous childhood and reaches prominence as Burma’s first beauty queen soon before the country falls to dictatorship. As Louisa navigates her newfound fame, she is forced to reckon with her family’s past, the West’s ongoing covert dealings in her country, and her own loyalty to the cause of the Karen people. Based on the story of the author’s mother and grandparents, Miss Burma is a captivating portrait of how modern Burma came to be and of the ordinary people swept up in the struggle for self-determination and freedom. “At once beautiful and heartbreaking . . . An incredible family saga.” —Refinery29 “Miss Burma charts both a political history and a deeply personal one—and of those incendiary moments when private and public motivations overlap.” —Los Angeles Times

Author : Larry Diamond
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 486 pages
File Size : 43,6 Mb
Release : 2015-07-16
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781317411376

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In Search of Democracy by Larry Diamond Pdf

This book evaluates the global status and prospects of democracy, with an emphasis on the quality of democratic institutions and the effectiveness of governance as key conditions for stable democracy. Bringing together a wide range of the author’s work over the past three decades, it advances a framework for assessing the quality of democracy and it analyzes alternative measures of democracy. Drawing on the most recent data from Freedom House, it assesses the global state of democracy and freedom, as of the beginning of 2015, and it explains why the world has been experiencing a mild but now deepening recession of democracy and freedom since 2005. A major theme of the book across the three decades of the author’s work is the relationship between democratic quality and stability. Democracies break down, Diamond argues, not so much because of economic factors but because of corrupt, inept governance that violates individual rights and the rule of law. The best way to secure democracy is to ensure that democracy is accountable, transparent, genuinely competitive, respectful of individual rights, inclusive of diverse forms and sources of participation, and responsive to the needs and aspirations of ordinary citizens. Viable democracy requires not only a state that can mobilize power to achieve collective goals, but also one that can restrain and punish the abuse of power—a particularly steep challenge for poor countries and those with natural resource wealth. The book examines these themes both in broad comparative perspective and with a deeper analysis of historical trends and future prospects in Africa and Asia,. Concluding with lessons for sustaining and reforming policies to promote democracy internationally, this book is essential reading for students and scholars interested in democracy, as well as politics and international relations more generally.

Author : C. Rodolfo Severino
Publisher : Institute of Southeast Asian Studies
Page : 510 pages
File Size : 53,5 Mb
Release : 2006
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9789812303899

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Southeast Asia in Search of an ASEAN Community by C. Rodolfo Severino Pdf

Talking about ASEAN, this volume reappraises the organization from the inside, through controversial or perplexing issues such as the ASEAN Way, the accession of the new members, including Myanmar, the principle of non-interference, regional security, regional economic integration, the haze and SARS, and ASEAN's future.