State, Nationality and Political Elites: The Politics of Nationalism in Myanmar

This article examines the politics of nationalism in Myanmar, focusing on the interplay between the state, competing conceptions of nationality, and the role of political elites. It analyzes the dominant form of official nationalism promoted by the state, which is based on the identity of the majority Bamar ethnic group and the Buddhist religion. The study critiques this exclusionary model of nationalism, arguing that it has been a primary driver of the country's long-running ethnic conflicts and its failure to build an inclusive nation-state. The research explores the role of political elites, both from the military and from the civilian government, in constructing and mobilizing this nationalist ideology to legitimize their rule. The paper also discusses the alternative conceptions of nationality that are advanced by the country's numerous ethnic minority groups, who advocate for a more pluralistic and federal vision of the state. The analysis concludes that the unresolved contestation over the meaning of the nation is the fundamental and central problem of Myanmar's politics.

The politics of nationalism has been the central and most destructive force in the history of modern Myanmar. This paper provides an in-depth analysis of this phenomenon, focusing on the role of the state and the political elites in shaping national identity. The study begins with a historical analysis of the origins of Burmese nationalism, tracing its evolution from the anti-colonial struggle to the post-independence era. The core of the article is a critical examination of the official, state-sponsored nationalism that has been promoted by successive military regimes. The paper argues that this is a specific and exclusionary form of "Bamar Buddhist nationalism," which has sought to impose the language, religion, and cultural norms of the majority Bamar ethnic group on the entire country. The paper then analyzes the profound and violent consequences of this state-led project of cultural homogenization. It details how this exclusionary nationalism has fueled the grievances of the country's diverse ethnic minority groups, leading to some of the world's longest-running civil wars. The persecution of the Rohingya is presented as the most extreme and tragic manifestation of this politics of exclusion. The findings reveal that the very definition of "nationality" in Myanmar is a deeply contested political question. The paper concludes that a lasting peace and a successful democratic transition in Myanmar is impossible without a fundamental rethinking of the concept of the nation, a move away from the current exclusionary model towards a more inclusive, federal, and multi-ethnic understanding of what it means to be a citizen of Myanmar.