070309 UE Guided Reading Political History - Narratives in Conflict (2020W)

Content: The history, society, politics and conflicts of Burma, with a focus on the 19th and especially the 20th century, up until today’s “transition to democracy” and (mass) atrocities in the conflicts. Given that the Union of Myanmar will hold general elections on 8 November this year, we will follow the process closely and connect it with the topics dealt with in class.

We will also look at underlying aspects, e.g. Theravada Buddhism, colonialism, nationalism(s) etc. More specifically, we will look at the connection between (unfinished) state building and the many (violent) conflicts raging in the country until today. We will focus on the different historical narratives and collective memories prevalent amongst the various ethnic groups and on the central state’s narrative, how they stand in conflict with each other, and how these narratives impact said state building and violent conflicts.

Goals: The course has several aims:
a) It aims to give students a basic understanding of the above mentioned content.
b) It aims to give students an understanding of how theories on nationalism and collective memory can be helpful in understanding these aspects, and how such theories can be essential for understanding history in general (e.g. B. Anderson, A. D. Smith, W. Connor)
c) It aims to help students develop a critical approach towards writing and researching history, especially an awareness of retrospective national reading and writing of history and how this impacts both scholarship and politics around the world today.
d) It aims to help students develop an understanding of the changing nature of human collective identities through time and space, with a focus on the emergence of the “nation” as the pre-eminent such identity in modern times.
e) It aims to help students develop an awareness of being precise in their academic work.

In all of this, the Burma will serve as the main example, but not as the only one. We will compare Burma to other countries, especially looking at the differences between the emergence and development of nationalism in Burma and Europe. Students are highly encouraged to reflect their own countries’ background in this regard and add their thoughts into the discussion.

Methods: The course is a guided reading, meaning we will read both original sources, as well as academic texts every week. Students are expected to thoroughly read the texts and write short assignments (1-2 pages) along guiding questions for every session, so as to be able to properly discuss the texts in class. Debate is an essential ingredient for good academic work, so students are expected to actively participate in class. Every student is also expected to hold one short presentation during the semester. The presentation should be related to the week’s respective topic and is rather aimed at reflecting the student’s own experience and thoughts and will not require extensive additional research.