Everyday Justice in Myanmar – new book

Wednesday 30 September 2020, 13.30-15.15
DIIS ∙ Danish Institute for International Studies
Online via Zoom

Everyday justice in Myanmar is the first book to explore how ordinary people in Myanmar access justice and resolve disputes based on a unique collection of ethnographic studies, covering Yangon city, Karen, Mon, Pa-0, Naga and refugee areas. Its findings provide deep insights into the dynamics of state-society relations in Myanmar by pointing to the strong preference for informal resolutions, practices of state evasion and the role of identity politics.

At this webinar, Myanmar expert Susanne Kempel, will discuss the book’s findings with several of its contributors. We will zoom in on the struggles for recognition of customary law in the nation-building processes of ethnic minority groups. We will discuss the contested role of religious and ethnic identity in accessing justice by urban and rural communities - Christian, Buddhist, Muslim and Hindu. And finally, we will address the widespread phenomenon of state evasion, what it tells us about social relations, experiences of (in)justice and everyday life. 

Speakers
Susanne Kempel, Independent
Lue Htar, Enlightened Myanmar Research Foundation – EMReF
Lwin Lwin Mon, Anthropology Department, University of Yangon
Than Pale, Anthropology Department, University of Yangon
Annika Pohl Harrisson, Aarhus University
Mikael Gravers, Aarhus University
Helene Maria Kyed, Senior Researcher, DIIS

Programme
13.30-13.40    Introduction and welcome, Susanne Kempel

13.40-14.20    Short presentations by the book’s contributors:
                          Helene Maria Kyed (editor), Lue Htar, Lwin Lwin Mon,
                          Mikael Gravers, Than Pale, Annika Pohl Harrisson

14.20-14.35    Discussion by Susanne Kempel

14.35-15.15    Q&A with the webinar audience, moderated by Susanne Kempel

Practical information
The webinar will be held in English

Participation is free of charge, but registration is required.