Organizer and Chair: Maureen Aung-Thwin, Open Society Institute
Discussants: Paul Michael Taylor, Smithsonian Institution; Christina Fink,
Open Society Institute; F. K. Lehman, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; La
Raw Maran, Kachinland Projects; Rachel Cooper, University of California, Los
Angeles
Since it took power in 1962, the Burmese military has followed policies that have contributed to the systematic erasure of local cultures and histories. Yet within this constraint, ethnic scholars and concerned individuals have managed to promote the study of their own languages and histories through informal means. Burmese ethnic groups inside Burma as well as in war and cease-fire zones and in exile continue to compile and write dictionaries, grammars, textbooks and histories. Ethnic writers under British rule often wrote primarily for their own groups, whereas many of today's ethnic writers recognize the importance of writing for all Burmese, promoting ethnic identification while furthering pan-ethnic understanding.
Roundtable discussants will explore various issues confronting non-Burman ethnic cultures today: (1) The changing political context of the production of local historical accounts and language materials; (2) the web of constraints inhibiting the writing and distribution of accounts; (3) the debate regarding "good" versus "bad" ways to intervene in ethnic minority cultures; and (4) identify ways that all Burmese, particularly Burmans, can engage in the process