The 2023 Myanmar Update aims to understand, celebrate, and explicate the Myanmar people’s resistance to the 1 February 2021 coup. The military’s violent crackdown on what was initially a peaceful popular uprising provoked a near-countrywide revolutionary movement, which has brought together an array of different political, ethnic, and religious groups fighting for the shared goal of ending military rule. While differences exist in objectives and strategies, the establishment of organisations like the National Unity Government (NUG) and the National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC), as well as the numerous other formal and informal alliances, has arguably created an unprecedented sense of unity among Myanmar’s diverse peoples and raised widespread hope that this time the struggle may succeed.
The conference seeks to explore the complexities of the revolutionary struggle; the effects of the coup on the state and economy; and, the myriad ways in which the people in Myanmar are coping with deepening violence and poverty.
- How has the coup and the popular response to it reshaped Myanmar politics?
- How are new armed groups forming, and how are they sustained?
- What has happened to the civil disobedience movement?
- What are the social, economic, and psychological implications of continued violence?
- How is the diaspora contributing to the revolution?
- How can foreign governments and the international aid community best support resistance to dictatorship?
We aim to address these kinds of questions, among others, in this conference.
The conference will take place at The Australian National University on Friday 21 July – Saturday 22 July 2023.
The two-day conference will feature scholars and experts from Australia, Myanmar, UK, North America and around the regions.
There are also pre-conference events on Thursday 20 July that we will list on our conference program with more information:
- 8.30am-4.30pm – Early Career Research workshop (by invitation)
- 4.30-5pm – Launch of Myanmar Update photo exhibition by Mayco Naing (Artist and Curator)
- 5.30-6.30 pm – Guest lecture ‘De-‘Area Studies’-izing Burmese History, The African (and African American) ‘Burma' Experience in the Twentieth Century’ by Michael Charney from SOAS, University of London
Convening Committee
- Cecile Medail - Visiting Fellow, Department of Political and Social Change, ANU, cecile.medail@anu.edu.au
- Morten Pedersen - Board member, Myanmar Research Centre, ANU, Morten.Pedersen@adfa.edu.au
- Yuri Takahashi - Lecturer and Convenor of the Burmese Program, ANU, Yuri.Takahashi@anu.edu.au
- Samuel Hmung - Research Officer, Myanmar Research Centre, ANU, Samuel.hmung@anu.edu.au
Sponsors
The 2023 ANU Myanmar Update is supported by the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific, the International Development Research Centre, Canada, the International IDEA, and the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Conference Participation
IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE
We would love for you to join us in person, in the Auditorium, Australian Centre on China in the World Building #188 on the ANU Campus, on Friday 21 July and Saturday 22 July.
ONLINE-ATTENDANCE
The 2023 Myanmar Update will be live streamed via Zoom Events. Please note no Q&A from the online audience, and some sessions are in-person only, we apologies for this inconvenience.
REGISTRATION
Please register in-person and online tickets via Zoom Events. You will get both in-person and online tickets via Zoom Events. If you have any queries, or need assistance to register in the Zoom Eevents platform, please let us know. Email: parnerships.cap@anu.edu.au
PLEASE NOTE:
Free of charge
- Reception for the launch of exhibition and guest lecture (20 July 2023)
- Pre-conference dinner for speakers, chairs and invited guests (20 July 2023)
- Conference reception (21 July 2023)
- Morning tea and afternoon tea (21 July 2023)
- Afternoon tea (22 July 2023)
- Lunch for speakers, chairs and organisers (21-22 July 2023)
Fees for general participants
- Conference lunch (21 & 22 July) is proudly provided by the Australia Mon Association in Canberra: $10 per meal for participant.
PRELIMINARY PROGRAM
Pre-conference Events (Thursday 20 July)
8.30am-4.30pm Early Career Researcher workshop (by invitation)
4.30-5pm Launch of Myanmar Update photo exhibition by Mayco Naing (Artist and Curator)
Venue: Auditorium Foyer, Australia Centre on China in the World Building 188, Fellows Lane, ANU
- Introduction by exhibition curator Mayco Naing
- Photo exhibition by Mauk Kham Wah and Mayco Naing
- Video documentary -1 minute per day in the 60 days following the coup by M. (screening all day on 21-22 July only, CIW seminar room)
5-5.30pm Refreshments (for exhibition and guest address)
5.30-6.30pm Guest Lecture - De-‘Area Studies’-izing Burmese History: the African (and African American) ‘Burma” Experience in the Twentieth Century
Venue: Auditorium, Australia Centre on China in the World Building 188, Fellows Lane, ANU
- Michael Charney, SOAS, University of London
7-8.30pm Preconference Dinner (by invitation)
Day 1 (Friday 21 July)
Venue: Auditorium, Australia Centre on China in the World Building 188, Fellows Lane, ANU
9-9.30am Welcome
- Welcome to the Country by Paul Girrawah House, First Nations Portfolio, ANU
- Opening remarks by Helen Sullivan, Dean of the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific
9.30-10.30am Keynote Address
Chair: Nick Cheesman, ANU
- H.E. Zin Mar Aung, Minister of Foreign Affairs, National Unity Government of the Union of Myanmar (online)
- Discussant: Tun Aung Shwe, Representative to Australia of the National Unity Government of the Union of Myanmar
10.30-10.45am Morning Tea
10.45am-12.45pm Political Update
Chair: Andrew Selth, Griffith University
- Ardeth Maung Thawnghmung, University of Massachusetts Lowell
- Ye Myo Hein, Wilson Center (online)
12.45-1.45pm Lunch Break
1.45- 3.15pm Panel 1: The Revolutionary Movement
Chair: George Lawson, ANU
- Samuel Hmung and Michael Dunford, Australian National University - “Understanding Myanmar’s Civil Disobedience Movement”
- Ellen, McMaster University, Canada - “Women's agency in armed struggles in Myanmar's Spring Revolution”
- Lukas Nagel, Griffith University - “Creative resistance and nationalism among youth activists in post-coup Myanmar”
3.15-3.30pm Afternoon Tea
3.30-5pm Panel 2: Revolutionary Governance
Chair: Jane Ferguson, ANU
- Gerard McCarthy and Kyle Nyana, Erasmus University - “Governing revolution: Post-coup insurgent social order in Chin State and Sagaing Region” (online)
- Tay Zar Myo Win, Deakin University - “Emerging local governance in Anyar”
- Khin Zaw Win, Tampadipa Institute - "Reimagining the goals of the Spring Revolution"
5-6.30pm Conference Reception (In-person only)
Venue: Auditorium Foyer, Australia Centre on China in the World Building 188, Fellows Lane, ANU
- Promotion of Art Exhibition: How to quantify FEAR? by artist and curator Mayco Naing
Day 2 (Saturday 22 July)
Venue: Auditorium, Australia Centre on China in the World Building 188, Fellows Lane, ANU
9.30-10.00am Book Launch: "Myanmar in Crisis" (In-person only)
- Book author: Michael Dunford, Australian National University
- Discussant: Cecilia Jacob, Australian National University
Book Sale - A limited number of books are available for sale for AUD $25 (card only).
10am-12pm Economic Update and Humanitarian Issues
Chair: Paul Burke, ANU
- Jared Bissinger, Independent analyst
- Tom Kean, International Crisis Group
- Anne Décobert, and Tamas Wells, University of Melbourne -“Myanmar’s humanitarian crisis and the conflict paradox for local aid organisations"
12-1pm Lunch Break
1-3pm Policy Panel & Closing Remarks (In-person only)
Chair: Morten Pedersen, UNSW Canberra
- Ardeth Maung Thawnghmung, University of Massachusetts Lowell
- Khin Zaw Win, Tampadipa Institute
- Jared Bissinger, Independent analyst
- Representative, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
3-3.15pm Afternoon Tea
3.15-4.45pm Burmese Language Roundtable: "Researching and reporting in post-coup Myanmar" (In-person only)
Venue: Seminar Room, Australia Centre on China in the World Building 188, Fellows Lane, ANU
Chair: Samuel Hmung, ANU
- Swe Win, Myanmar Now
- Ardeth Maung Thawnghmung, University of Massachusetts Lowell
- Khin Zaw Win, Tampadipa Institute
မြန်မာဘာသာ စကားဝိုင်း၊ “အာဏာသိမ်းပြီးမြန်မာနိုင်ငံတွင် သုတေသနပြုလုပ်ခြင်းနှင့် သတင်းတင်ဆက်ခြင်း”
သဘာပတိ - Samuel Hmung (ANU)
- ဦးဆောင်ဆွေးနွေးသူ - Ardeth Maung Thawnghmung (University of Massachusetts Lowell)၊ ဆွေဝင်း (Myanmar Now)၊ ခင်ဇော်ဝင်း (Tampadipa Institute)