SOAS Research Online

Abstract

The Western imaginary of Burma has dominated international thinking about Burma for so long partly because of the advantages Western countries have in terms of funding and power and the longevity of the educational institutions. Contemporary Burma also has the disadvantage of domestic political violence. Some Burmese scholars advocate not producing knowledge about Burma while the current revolution continues, although this raises questions about whether Burma should also not have been researched during the half-century of civil war as well. Moreover, there are other audiences than the Burmese one(s) that need for various reasons (and not all nefarious) information about the country for whom just shutting down the knowledge tap about the country is not an acceptable option.