Ethnic and Religious Diversity in Myanmar - by Perry Schmidt-Leukel & Hans-Peter Grosshans & Madlen Krueger (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

One of the most comprehensive volumes on Myanmar's identity politics to date, this book discusses the entanglement of ethnic and religious identities in Myanmar and the challenges presented by its extensive ethnic-religious diversity.

Religious and ethnic conjunctions are treated from historical, political, religious and ethnic minority perspectives through both case studies and overview chapters. The book addresses the thorny issue of Buddhist supremacy, Burmese nationalism and ethnic-religious hierarchy, along with reflections on Buddhist, Christian and Muslim communities.

Bringing together international scholars and Burmese scholars, this book combines the perspectives of academic observers with those of political activists and religious leaders from different faiths. Through the breadth of its disciplinary approach, its focus on identity issues and its inclusion of insider and outsider perspectives, this book provides new insights into the complex religious situation of Myanmar.

Review Quotes

"An incredibly timely and much-needed book on the variegated and ever-changing landscape of ethnicity and religious diversity in Myanmar, with fresh perspectives essential for better understanding the country's recent past as well as prospects for the future." --Thant Myint-U is an historian, writer, former Myanmar presidential adviser, founder of the Yangon Heritage Trust, and the chairman of U Thant House in Yangon. He has served on three United Nations peacekeeping operations and as the Chief of Policy Planning in the UN's Department of Political Affairs. He is the author most recently of The Hidden History of Burma: Race, Capitalism, and the Crisis of Democracy in the 21st Century.

"This important collaborative volume addresses the challenge of identity politics in Myanmar, an issue shared by many postcolonial contexts fractured along religious and ethnic lines. Written by an eminent group of scholars of and from Myanmar, this is undoubtedly a timely collection on a pressing set of social and political issues that has direct relevance for how we understand history, society and the state in Myanmar." --Melissa Crouch, Professor and Associate Dean Research, University of New South Wales, Australia

"The fifteen excellent contributors to this volume fill a gap in contemporary scholarship by shedding light on Myanmar's diverse and complex communities, and the relationships between them. This book should be essential reading not only for those working within Asian Studies or Identity Studies but also for all who are committed to the building of interreligious and inter-ethnic respect in situations of conflict." --Elizabeth J Harris, Honorary Senior Research Fellow, University of Birmingham, UK

"This pivotal moment in Myanmar's history poses the question of whether solidarity against military rule can produce a society with justice for all ethnic and religious groups. This volume illuminates both the potential of this movement and its challenges by centering the experiences of minoritized ethnic and religious groups and their negotiations of Burmese Buddhist dominance." --Alicia M. Turner, Associate Professor, York University, Canada

"This is a comprehensive volume on Myanmar's current identity politics. It takes a detailed multi-disciplinary approach to the hierarchical model of diversity and the responses to Burmanization. It not only provides a historical reading of Myanmar's current identity politics but also assesses the prospects by drawing on history, political science, social anthropology, and religious studies ... As such, it can offer a precious resource to students of East Asian history, Buddhism, and Japanese religions in general." --Ugo Dessì, University of Vienna, Austria, Religious Studies Review

About the Author

Perry Schmidt-Leukel is Professor of Religious Studies and Intercultural Theology at the University of Muenster, Germany.

Hans-Peter Grosshans is Professor of Systematic and Ecumenical Studies at the University of Muenster, Germany.

Madlen Krueger is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Muenster, Germany.