Ardeth Maung Thawnghmung
Biographic Data
| ID | 150380 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Ardeth Maung Thawnghmung |
| GIVEN NAMES | Ardeth Maung |
| FAMILY NAME | Thawnghmung |
| SIGNATURE | THAWNGHMUNG A M |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Massachusetts Lowell |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-8913-7633 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 27 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 150 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 27 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2003 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 8 |
Can Pandora’s Box Be Closed? How People in Myanmar Access and Identify Trustworthy Information After the Coup
In 2012, Myanmar’s government abolished its censorship board, opening a Pandora’s box of unregulated free speech in the country’s previously cloistered information environment and raising hopes for a forthcoming transition to democracy. The military coup of 2021 would dash these hopes. To learn more about the media environment in countries that oscillate between democratization and authoritarianism, we use the case of military-ruled Myanmar, asse…
Agents” of the state or revolution? Resistance, accommodation, violence and the role of local administrators in post-coup Myanmar
This paper examines the role of local authorities in Myanmar following a military coup in February 2021 which has generated a nation-wide resistance and put local state authorities in a difficult situation as mediators between the junta authorities, resistance movements, and local populations. Based on surveys of 26 community researchers, interviews of 51 residents in three most violent areas in Myanmar, and secondary sources published by state a…
The Fractured Centre
This article analyses the evolving nature and dynamics of the relationship between the centre and the periphery by examining how semi-democratic reforms have shaped and influenced the peace negotiation process between the government and ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) since 2011. We demonstrate that while the 2008 constitution has reduced restrictions on political, economic, and cultural activities in Myanmar, it has also inevitably produced a …
Myanmar’s military coup and the elevation of the minority agenda
The military overthrow of Myanmar’s elected government in February 2021 has again thrown into upheaval the troublesome relationship between civilian politicians and armed forces that has plagued the country since its first military coup in 1962. t has also brought back into view the relationship between Myanmar’s Bamar majority and the country’s ethnic minorities, a fractious issue that has long been subject to band-aid and patchwork solutions th…
Can Myanmar Save Itself
Book Review| April 01 2020 Can Myanmar Save Itself? The Hidden History of Burma: Race, Capitalism, and the Crisis of Democracy in the 21st Century, by ThantMyint-U. W. W. Norton, 2019. Ardeth Maung Thawnghmung Ardeth Maung Thawnghmung Ardeth Maung Thawnghmung is a professor and chair of the political science department at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. Her latest book is Everyday Economic Survival in Myanmar (University of Wisconsin Pre…
Migration and intercommunal relationships
The growing significance of migration on a global scale is generating increased scholarly interest in the subject, offering a fuller and more nuanced understanding of the nature and implications of different types of migration. However, research to date has presented divergent findings on the factors influencing the presence or absence of migration-induced conflicts, as most contributions are single-case studies focusing on different regions, lev…
Poison If You Don’t Know How to Use It
Internet access in Myanmar has exploded from less than 1 percent in 2001 to more than 30 percent in 2018 and of those who have access, 40 percent list Facebook as their primary source of news. Coinciding with Facebook’s diffusion in Myanmar is a sharp increase in violence toward minority groups—especially the Rohingya. A U.N. Fact-Finding mission found Facebook was used to spread hate and facilitate the persecution of the Rohingya. But we know li…
Rural
This chapter begins with a sketch of the main features that distinguish rural from urban areas in Myanmar. It provides general living conditions in rural areas and the challenges faced by rural populations in different regions of the country. The chapter focuses on how rural residents use a variety of strategies to help them cope with multiple economic stresses. Myanmar&s;s rural population includes people from a wide variety of ethnic, religious…
First Movers, Democratization and Unilateral Concessions
The article argues that “first movers” and the bandwagoning effect they trigger can undermine the dynamics that perpetuate civil war and enable a multiparty cease-fire agreement. It looks at the unprecedented “nationwide” cease-fire in Myanmar reached between the government and several ethnic armed organizations in 2015. It shows that democratization and unilateral concessions by the Myanmar government were instrumental in overcoming the commitme…
Myanmar's New Era
Southeast Asian Affairs, first published in 1974, continues today to be required reading for not only scholars but the general public interested in in-depth analysis of critical cultural, economic and political issues in Southeast Asia. In this annual review of the region, renowned academics provide comprehensive and stimulating commentary that furthers understanding of not only the regions dynamism but also of its tensions and conflicts. It is a…
Signs of life in Myanmar’s nationwide ceasefire agreement? Finding a way forward
This article focuses on peace-building efforts in Myanmar implemented under the Nation Wide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) in 2013. It assesses the ways in which the recently elected government led by the National League for Democracy (NLD) has dealt with the NCA, and highlights opportunities and challenges. I argue that while the NLD government and Myanmar military remain crucial to the success of peace efforts, implementation of the NCA is impossibl…
Do consultancies compromise academic research and ethics? A case study of Burma/Myanmar
This paper contributes to ongoing debates about interactions between the political science discipline and policymaking communities by analysing the role played by scholars who work as consultants for governments, non-governmental organizations, and international aid agencies in conflict-affected and post-conflict societies. It argues that although consultancies permit scholars to engage with policy communities and provide convenient access for da…
Blood, Dreams and Gold
The Myanmar Elections 2015
On November 8 the vast majority of Myanmar's citizens participated in what official observers – international and domestic – widely hailed as the most genuinely competitive, free, fair, and orderly parliamentary elections in the nation since 1990. Yet the poll, which resulted in a resounding victory for the National League for Democracy (NLD), surprised many observers, who expected that members of the ruling party, the Union Solidarity and Develo…
The politics of indigeneity in Myanmar
This paper addresses a key issue that remains under-studied in discussions of Buddhist–Muslim hostility and violence in the northern Rakhine state in Myanmar. It reveals how the public narratives of both Rakhine Buddhist and Muslim political parties rely on the concept of ‘indigeneity’ to assert their claims as citizens and rightful sons of the soil, and to discredit the other’s position. This paper argues that this discourse, and the debate as i…
The Authority of Influence
The Politics of Everyday Life in Twenty-First Century Myanmar
Myanmar has been conventionally regarded as one of the most repressive countries in the world. As a result, many scholars, journalists, and human rights organizations understandably focus their attention on the draconian policies of the Myanmarese military regime. When the country makes headlines, the story of events taking place is typically framed in terms of state oppression and direct popular opposition. This leads to a restrictive view of th…
Responding to Strategies and Programmes of Myanmar ́ s Military Regime
The Myanmar military regime's harsh crackdown on popular demonstrations in September 2007 has generated intense international condemnation as well as other responses. Most of the criticisms and policy proposals offered in these responses, however, have focused upon political reform. Relatively little in the ways of proposals or even concern has dealt with economic reform, the lack of which was the main grievance of the demonstrations and protests…
Myanmar in 2007
Myanmar's military regime drew global condemnation in September 2007 when it brutally suppressed anti-government demonstrations. Although this junction appeared to be a turning point since it facilitated greater international intervention, recent events indicate a return to “normalcy” as the regime ruled out dialogue with the main opposition party and proceeded with its own roadmap to political transition
Myanmar (Burma) since 1962
SOJOURN is an interdisciplinary journal devoted to the study of social and cultural issues in Southeast Asia. It publishes empirical and theoretical research articles with a view to promoting and disseminating scholarship in and on the region. Areas of special concern include ethnicity, religion, tourism, urbanization, migration, popular culture, social and cultural change, and development. Fields most often represented in the journal are anthrop…
Myanmar in 2006
The year 2006 was marked by more entrenched and resilient military rule, which has become increasingly defiant against intense and growing international pressure. The Myanmar government has demonstrated that it plans to remain in power indefinitely and by any means, despite a successful effort by Western powers to place the Myanmar problem on the U.N. Security Council agenda
Myanmar Impasses
This article analyzes the rationales for the imposition and withdrawal of economic sanctions against Myanmar/Burma. We argue that the current debate on the merits between ‘constructive engagement’ and ‘isolation’ is misleading since it conceals the gap between the rhetoric and actual practices of involved countries. In addition, a convergence of shared interests between ASEAN and the Western countries in the hope of a freer political environment …
Behind the Teak Curtain
Burma
Preconditions and Prospects for Democratic Transition in Burma/Myanmar
This article evaluates the prospects for democratic transition in Myanmar by looking at the environment under which dissident leader Aung San Suu Kyi was released from house arrest in 1995 and 2002. It argues that while her release in 1995 was mainly based on the regime's overconfidence in its future political stability and Myanmar's economic prosperity, the absence of these expected outcomes in the early 2000s has forced the military government …
The politics of indigeneity in Myanmar
This paper addresses a key issue that remains under-studied in discussions of Buddhist–Muslim hostility and violence in the northern Rakhine state in Myanmar. It reveals how the public narratives of both Rakhine Buddhist and Muslim political parties rely on the concept of ‘indigeneity’ to assert their claims as citizens and rightful sons of the soil, and to discredit the other’s position. This paper argues that this discourse, and the debate as i…
Poison If You Don’t Know How to Use It
Internet access in Myanmar has exploded from less than 1 percent in 2001 to more than 30 percent in 2018 and of those who have access, 40 percent list Facebook as their primary source of news. Coinciding with Facebook’s diffusion in Myanmar is a sharp increase in violence toward minority groups—especially the Rohingya. A U.N. Fact-Finding mission found Facebook was used to spread hate and facilitate the persecution of the Rohingya. But we know li…
Myanmar’s military coup and the elevation of the minority agenda
The military overthrow of Myanmar’s elected government in February 2021 has again thrown into upheaval the troublesome relationship between civilian politicians and armed forces that has plagued the country since its first military coup in 1962. t has also brought back into view the relationship between Myanmar’s Bamar majority and the country’s ethnic minorities, a fractious issue that has long been subject to band-aid and patchwork solutions th…
Signs of life in Myanmar’s nationwide ceasefire agreement? Finding a way forward
This article focuses on peace-building efforts in Myanmar implemented under the Nation Wide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) in 2013. It assesses the ways in which the recently elected government led by the National League for Democracy (NLD) has dealt with the NCA, and highlights opportunities and challenges. I argue that while the NLD government and Myanmar military remain crucial to the success of peace efforts, implementation of the NCA is impossibl…
The Myanmar Elections 2015
On November 8 the vast majority of Myanmar's citizens participated in what official observers – international and domestic – widely hailed as the most genuinely competitive, free, fair, and orderly parliamentary elections in the nation since 1990. Yet the poll, which resulted in a resounding victory for the National League for Democracy (NLD), surprised many observers, who expected that members of the ruling party, the Union Solidarity and Develo…
The Politics of Everyday Life in Twenty-First Century Myanmar
Myanmar has been conventionally regarded as one of the most repressive countries in the world. As a result, many scholars, journalists, and human rights organizations understandably focus their attention on the draconian policies of the Myanmarese military regime. When the country makes headlines, the story of events taking place is typically framed in terms of state oppression and direct popular opposition. This leads to a restrictive view of th…
Myanmar in 2007
Myanmar's military regime drew global condemnation in September 2007 when it brutally suppressed anti-government demonstrations. Although this junction appeared to be a turning point since it facilitated greater international intervention, recent events indicate a return to “normalcy” as the regime ruled out dialogue with the main opposition party and proceeded with its own roadmap to political transition
Rural perceptions of state legitimacy in Burma/Myanmar
This article examines four different agricultural policies that have been implemented under the Burmese military regime, with particular reference to the varying reactions by rice farmers to the ways in which these agricultural programmes were implemented. The purpose is to challenge conventional studies of Burma/Myanmar that focus on the behaviour and practices of the military elite in Rangoon, and treat the military regime as a unitary actor By…
The Fractured Centre
This article analyses the evolving nature and dynamics of the relationship between the centre and the periphery by examining how semi-democratic reforms have shaped and influenced the peace negotiation process between the government and ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) since 2011. We demonstrate that while the 2008 constitution has reduced restrictions on political, economic, and cultural activities in Myanmar, it has also inevitably produced a …
Myanmar (Burma) since 1962
SOJOURN is an interdisciplinary journal devoted to the study of social and cultural issues in Southeast Asia. It publishes empirical and theoretical research articles with a view to promoting and disseminating scholarship in and on the region. Areas of special concern include ethnicity, religion, tourism, urbanization, migration, popular culture, social and cultural change, and development. Fields most often represented in the journal are anthrop…
The Socio‐Economic Impacts of Rice Policies Implementation in Rural Burma/Myanmar
This paper, focusing on two rice-farming villages where the Burmese government has experimented with a variety of agricultural programmes, explores the problems associated with rice implementation processes. In particular it looks at the basic structure and operation of agricultural administration — salary and income of government officials, the predominance of military officers in civilian ministries and departments, the creation of departments …
Agents” of the state or revolution? Resistance, accommodation, violence and the role of local administrators in post-coup Myanmar
This paper examines the role of local authorities in Myanmar following a military coup in February 2021 which has generated a nation-wide resistance and put local state authorities in a difficult situation as mediators between the junta authorities, resistance movements, and local populations. Based on surveys of 26 community researchers, interviews of 51 residents in three most violent areas in Myanmar, and secondary sources published by state a…
First Movers, Democratization and Unilateral Concessions
The article argues that “first movers” and the bandwagoning effect they trigger can undermine the dynamics that perpetuate civil war and enable a multiparty cease-fire agreement. It looks at the unprecedented “nationwide” cease-fire in Myanmar reached between the government and several ethnic armed organizations in 2015. It shows that democratization and unilateral concessions by the Myanmar government were instrumental in overcoming the commitme…
Do consultancies compromise academic research and ethics? A case study of Burma/Myanmar
This paper contributes to ongoing debates about interactions between the political science discipline and policymaking communities by analysing the role played by scholars who work as consultants for governments, non-governmental organizations, and international aid agencies in conflict-affected and post-conflict societies. It argues that although consultancies permit scholars to engage with policy communities and provide convenient access for da…
Myanmar in 2006
The year 2006 was marked by more entrenched and resilient military rule, which has become increasingly defiant against intense and growing international pressure. The Myanmar government has demonstrated that it plans to remain in power indefinitely and by any means, despite a successful effort by Western powers to place the Myanmar problem on the U.N. Security Council agenda
Burma
Burma
Preconditions and Prospects for Democratic Transition in Burma/Myanmar
This article evaluates the prospects for democratic transition in Myanmar by looking at the environment under which dissident leader Aung San Suu Kyi was released from house arrest in 1995 and 2002. It argues that while her release in 1995 was mainly based on the regime's overconfidence in its future political stability and Myanmar's economic prosperity, the absence of these expected outcomes in the early 2000s has forced the military government …
The Socio‐Economic Impacts of Rice Policies Implementation in Rural Burma/Myanmar
This paper, focusing on two rice-farming villages where the Burmese government has experimented with a variety of agricultural programmes, explores the problems associated with rice implementation processes. In particular it looks at the basic structure and operation of agricultural administration — salary and income of government officials, the predominance of military officers in civilian ministries and departments, the creation of departments …
Rural perceptions of state legitimacy in Burma/Myanmar
This article examines four different agricultural policies that have been implemented under the Burmese military regime, with particular reference to the varying reactions by rice farmers to the ways in which these agricultural programmes were implemented. The purpose is to challenge conventional studies of Burma/Myanmar that focus on the behaviour and practices of the military elite in Rangoon, and treat the military regime as a unitary actor By…
Behind the Teak Curtain
Myanmar Impasses
This article analyzes the rationales for the imposition and withdrawal of economic sanctions against Myanmar/Burma. We argue that the current debate on the merits between ‘constructive engagement’ and ‘isolation’ is misleading since it conceals the gap between the rhetoric and actual practices of involved countries. In addition, a convergence of shared interests between ASEAN and the Western countries in the hope of a freer political environment …
Myanmar in 2006
The year 2006 was marked by more entrenched and resilient military rule, which has become increasingly defiant against intense and growing international pressure. The Myanmar government has demonstrated that it plans to remain in power indefinitely and by any means, despite a successful effort by Western powers to place the Myanmar problem on the U.N. Security Council agenda
Responding to Strategies and Programmes of Myanmar ́ s Military Regime
The Myanmar military regime's harsh crackdown on popular demonstrations in September 2007 has generated intense international condemnation as well as other responses. Most of the criticisms and policy proposals offered in these responses, however, have focused upon political reform. Relatively little in the ways of proposals or even concern has dealt with economic reform, the lack of which was the main grievance of the demonstrations and protests…
Myanmar in 2007
Myanmar's military regime drew global condemnation in September 2007 when it brutally suppressed anti-government demonstrations. Although this junction appeared to be a turning point since it facilitated greater international intervention, recent events indicate a return to “normalcy” as the regime ruled out dialogue with the main opposition party and proceeded with its own roadmap to political transition
Myanmar (Burma) since 1962
SOJOURN is an interdisciplinary journal devoted to the study of social and cultural issues in Southeast Asia. It publishes empirical and theoretical research articles with a view to promoting and disseminating scholarship in and on the region. Areas of special concern include ethnicity, religion, tourism, urbanization, migration, popular culture, social and cultural change, and development. Fields most often represented in the journal are anthrop…
The Politics of Everyday Life in Twenty-First Century Myanmar
Myanmar has been conventionally regarded as one of the most repressive countries in the world. As a result, many scholars, journalists, and human rights organizations understandably focus their attention on the draconian policies of the Myanmarese military regime. When the country makes headlines, the story of events taking place is typically framed in terms of state oppression and direct popular opposition. This leads to a restrictive view of th…
The Authority of Influence
The Myanmar Elections 2015
On November 8 the vast majority of Myanmar's citizens participated in what official observers – international and domestic – widely hailed as the most genuinely competitive, free, fair, and orderly parliamentary elections in the nation since 1990. Yet the poll, which resulted in a resounding victory for the National League for Democracy (NLD), surprised many observers, who expected that members of the ruling party, the Union Solidarity and Develo…
The politics of indigeneity in Myanmar
This paper addresses a key issue that remains under-studied in discussions of Buddhist–Muslim hostility and violence in the northern Rakhine state in Myanmar. It reveals how the public narratives of both Rakhine Buddhist and Muslim political parties rely on the concept of ‘indigeneity’ to assert their claims as citizens and rightful sons of the soil, and to discredit the other’s position. This paper argues that this discourse, and the debate as i…
Myanmar's New Era
Southeast Asian Affairs, first published in 1974, continues today to be required reading for not only scholars but the general public interested in in-depth analysis of critical cultural, economic and political issues in Southeast Asia. In this annual review of the region, renowned academics provide comprehensive and stimulating commentary that furthers understanding of not only the regions dynamism but also of its tensions and conflicts. It is a…
Signs of life in Myanmar’s nationwide ceasefire agreement? Finding a way forward
This article focuses on peace-building efforts in Myanmar implemented under the Nation Wide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) in 2013. It assesses the ways in which the recently elected government led by the National League for Democracy (NLD) has dealt with the NCA, and highlights opportunities and challenges. I argue that while the NLD government and Myanmar military remain crucial to the success of peace efforts, implementation of the NCA is impossibl…
Do consultancies compromise academic research and ethics? A case study of Burma/Myanmar
This paper contributes to ongoing debates about interactions between the political science discipline and policymaking communities by analysing the role played by scholars who work as consultants for governments, non-governmental organizations, and international aid agencies in conflict-affected and post-conflict societies. It argues that although consultancies permit scholars to engage with policy communities and provide convenient access for da…
Blood, Dreams and Gold
Rural
This chapter begins with a sketch of the main features that distinguish rural from urban areas in Myanmar. It provides general living conditions in rural areas and the challenges faced by rural populations in different regions of the country. The chapter focuses on how rural residents use a variety of strategies to help them cope with multiple economic stresses. Myanmar&s;s rural population includes people from a wide variety of ethnic, religious…
First Movers, Democratization and Unilateral Concessions
The article argues that “first movers” and the bandwagoning effect they trigger can undermine the dynamics that perpetuate civil war and enable a multiparty cease-fire agreement. It looks at the unprecedented “nationwide” cease-fire in Myanmar reached between the government and several ethnic armed organizations in 2015. It shows that democratization and unilateral concessions by the Myanmar government were instrumental in overcoming the commitme…
Can Myanmar Save Itself
Book Review| April 01 2020 Can Myanmar Save Itself? The Hidden History of Burma: Race, Capitalism, and the Crisis of Democracy in the 21st Century, by ThantMyint-U. W. W. Norton, 2019. Ardeth Maung Thawnghmung Ardeth Maung Thawnghmung Ardeth Maung Thawnghmung is a professor and chair of the political science department at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. Her latest book is Everyday Economic Survival in Myanmar (University of Wisconsin Pre…
Migration and intercommunal relationships
The growing significance of migration on a global scale is generating increased scholarly interest in the subject, offering a fuller and more nuanced understanding of the nature and implications of different types of migration. However, research to date has presented divergent findings on the factors influencing the presence or absence of migration-induced conflicts, as most contributions are single-case studies focusing on different regions, lev…
Poison If You Don’t Know How to Use It
Internet access in Myanmar has exploded from less than 1 percent in 2001 to more than 30 percent in 2018 and of those who have access, 40 percent list Facebook as their primary source of news. Coinciding with Facebook’s diffusion in Myanmar is a sharp increase in violence toward minority groups—especially the Rohingya. A U.N. Fact-Finding mission found Facebook was used to spread hate and facilitate the persecution of the Rohingya. But we know li…
Myanmar’s military coup and the elevation of the minority agenda
The military overthrow of Myanmar’s elected government in February 2021 has again thrown into upheaval the troublesome relationship between civilian politicians and armed forces that has plagued the country since its first military coup in 1962. t has also brought back into view the relationship between Myanmar’s Bamar majority and the country’s ethnic minorities, a fractious issue that has long been subject to band-aid and patchwork solutions th…
The Fractured Centre
This article analyses the evolving nature and dynamics of the relationship between the centre and the periphery by examining how semi-democratic reforms have shaped and influenced the peace negotiation process between the government and ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) since 2011. We demonstrate that while the 2008 constitution has reduced restrictions on political, economic, and cultural activities in Myanmar, it has also inevitably produced a …
Asian Geopolitics and Ethnography (25 works) · Political science (25 works) · Politics (18 works) · Sociology (18 works) · Law (17 works) · Political economy (16 works) · Economics (13 works) · Democracy (12 works) · Law (11 works) · Cambodian History and Society (9 works)