Monks in Politics, Monks in the World: Buddhist Activism in Contemporary Myanmar

When Myanmar's new, quasi-civilian government took power in early 2011, very few people expected religious issues to play a pivotal role in the political transition. Although the widespread protests of 2007 were led by monks, the severe repression that followed drove protest leaders underground...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Social research 2015-07, Vol.82 (2), p.507-530
Main Author: Walton, Matthew J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Activism
Buddhism
Buddhists
Discourse
Elections
Males
Monasteries
Monks
Muslims
Myanmar
Oppression
Participation
Political activism
Political Change
Political Development
Political discourse
Political Power
Politics
Population Policy
Power
Public Officials
Reasoning
Repression (Political)
Revolutions
Rhetoric
State Role
Traditions
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Summary:When Myanmar's new, quasi-civilian government took power in early 2011, very few people expected religious issues to play a pivotal role in the political transition. Although the widespread protests of 2007 were led by monks, the severe repression that followed drove protest leaders underground and seemed to weaken the sangha (monkhood) as a political force. In a sharp contrast to previous decades, such as the 1930s and 1950s, neither the campaigning before the 2010 elections nor the policy rhetoric of elected officials seemed to make much reference to the Buddhist faith followed by the majority of Myanmar's population. There are a variety of ways in which monks understand, describe, and justify their work as it relates to the political sphere. Whereas the negative public discourse on monks and politics can often be superficial (rarely moving beyond knee-jerk, delegitimizing labels of fake monks or 'men' in robes), a closer examination of the monks' reasoning on this can help to elucidate different and changing perspectives on the monastic vocation itself. Adapted from the source document.
ISSN:0037-783X
1944-768X
1944-768X
DOI:10.1353/sor.2015.0020