A 'nation of intent' in Burma: Karen ethno-nationalism, nationalism and narrations of nation

Fully-formed nationalisms do not emerge from nothing. Nor are they inextinguishable expressions of pre-modern forms of identity and political aspirations. The argument in this paper is that if they are fully formed, they have to emerge from ethno -nationalism; that is, out of ethnic identification-w...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Pacific review 2002-01, Vol.15 (4), p.517-537
Main Author: Rajah, Ananda
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Burma
Ethnic conflict
Ethnic Groups
Ethnicity
Ethno-HISTORY
Ethno-NATIONALISM
Ethnocentrism
Ethnology
Ethnonationalism
Government and politics
Historiography
Identity
Karen
Myanmar
Narratives
National Identity
Nationalism
Political Ideologies
Political Movements
Refugee camps
Refugees, Burmese
Regional studies
Self-determination, National
State Formation
Thailand
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Summary:Fully-formed nationalisms do not emerge from nothing. Nor are they inextinguishable expressions of pre-modern forms of identity and political aspirations. The argument in this paper is that if they are fully formed, they have to emerge from ethno -nationalism; that is, out of ethnic identification-writ-large, where ethnic identification becomes 'mapped' onto that larger thing called a 'nation'. Ethnic identification, however, requires a transformation in modes of consciousness and atavistic ethno-histories before ethno-nationalism and then full-blooded nationalisms can come into being. The argument is made in relation to the Karen nationalist movement in Burma. Karen nationalism emerged out of ethno-nationalism that was fostered by Christian missionary interest and ethnological attempts to set out a Karen ethno-history. Missionary writings offered Christian-educated Karen, in colonial times, the basis for a 'narration of nation' and for viewing themselves not merely as an ethnic group but a 'nation'. This paper sets out the ceaseless unfolding of this 'narration of nation' that began in the nineteenth century and now tragically occurs in refugee camps in Thailand because of drastically altered politico-military conditions in Burma since the late 1980s. These narrations can only be understood in terms of their discursive history and how this history has been shaped. These narrations are examined with a view to addressing some key theoretical issues contained in more recent studies of nationalism and nation-state-making as modern phenomena and how ethno-nationalism is transformed into nationalism.
ISSN:0951-2748
1470-1332
DOI:10.1080/0951274021000029413