2023 Myanmar Update - From Coup to Revolution

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, Canada, UK, and around the regions.

Keynote Speaker: National Unity Government representative

Other speakers include:

• Ardeth Maung Thawnghmung, University of Massachusetts Lowell
• Ye Myo Hein, Wilson Center
• Samuel Hmung and Michael Dunford, Australian National University 
• Ellen, McMaster University, Canada
• Lukas Nagel, Griffith University
• Gerard McCarthy, Erasmus University Rotterdam
• Kyle Nyana, Erasmus University
• Tay Zar Myo Win, University of Melbourne
• Jared Bissinger, Independent analyst
• Tom Kean, International Crisis Group
• Khaing Phyu Htut, Independent analyst
• Anne Décobert, Tamas Wells, and Pyae Phyo Maung, University of Melbourne
• Ngu Wah Win, Chiang Mai University
• Khin Zaw Win, Tampadipa Institute
• Maw Thoe Myar, Chiang Mai University 

There are also pre-conference events on Thursday 20 July that we will list on our conference program with more information:

• 9 am-5pm - 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 the 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

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. Details are available upon registration. 

REGISTRATION 
Please register now to secure your tickets via Zoom Events. 

Sponsors

The 2022 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.