Karen Nation-Building in Relation to the Spring Revolution
Abstract
The revolution in Myanmar started as a civil response to the military coup that toppled a democratically elected civilian government on the 1st of February 2021. This action by the military stirred up local and global condemnation. At the same time, it exacerbates the conflict that has been going on in Myanmar for over seventy-five years. This action by the military first saw a demonstration of protest by the civilian populace which spiralled into a wider conflict known as the Spring Revolution with the effort being made by the ethnic armed organizations to topple the military junta. Currently, the conflict has plagued Myanmar and sets it on the wrong trajectory further into civil war between the military and ethnic armed organizations. Central to this crisis is the minority ethnic Karens who have been resisting being assimilated into the cultural standardization of the State of Myanmar by the majority ethnic group since Myanmar’s independence. This thesis investigates Karen nation-building in the context of the Spring Revolution. The objective of this study is to understand why the Karen people seek to preserve their cultural identity. Central to this is the research question – how do the Karens view future nation-building in the context of the Spring Revolution? The research study utilizes a qualitative approach based on semi-structured interviews with thirteen persons. The sample group includes soldiers active in the ongoing war, political activists, students, lay persons and the religious clergy who shared their perspectives on Karen aspirations. Relevant themes were extrapolated that answered the study question which points to the Karen quest to remain distinct and preserve their identity and their fidelity to primordial Karen culture and heritage.