Burma/Myanmar in Transition: Connectivity, Changes and Challenges

The highly anticipated International Conference on Burma/Myanmar Studies will be held in Chiang Mai over the period 24-25 July 2015. It will be co-hosted by the Centre for ASEAN Studies (CAS), Chiang Mai University, the Regional Centre for Social Science and Sustainable Development (RCSD): Myanmar Studies Centre, the University of Mandalay and the International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS) in Leiden, The Netherlands. The unique conference will bring together numerous scholars, researchers, journalists, NGO workers and observers from Burma/Myanmar, as well as those from other parts of the world. With scholarship on and within Burma/Myanmar still to be fully developed, the conference will enable and empower discussion on relevant topics and provide holistic updates.

The objectives of the conference are:
- to bring together leading scholars and intellectuals on Burma/Myanmar in order to develop a deeper understanding of the enormous political, social, environmental, and economical transformations occurring in Burma/Myanmar.
- to assist in putting scholarship on Burma/Myanmar at the forefront of conversation and strengthen in within academia.
- to examine the connectivity and nexus Burma/Myanmar has with other ASEAN members, larger regional powers and in a global context.
- to provide a thought-provoking platform for the exchange of academic and practical ideas and to facilitate dialogue amongst scholars from Burma/Myanmar and throughout the world.
- to enable young and mid-level scholars and researchers to participate in an international academic forum and have interaction with leading scholars within the field.

Format of the conference:
The conference is structured into a plenary session, thematic panels and roundtables. The plenary (a panel of experts) consists of distinguished scholars on Burma/Myanmar Studies, including:
- Dr Ardith Maung Thawnghmung (University of Massachusetts Lowell)
- Dr Sunait Chutintaranond (Chulalongkorn University)
- Dr Matthew J Walton (University of Oxford)

The thematic panels include topics such as

o Power Relations in Transitional Myanmar
o Popular Culture, Arts and the Media
o Agrarian Transformation and Environmental Change
o Identity Politics and Ethnicity
o Religion, Spirit Cults and Healing
o Migration, Displacement and Exile
o Education, Languages and Communication
o Urban Landscapes, Modernity and Development
o Public Intellectuals and Myanmar’s Academic Realm
o The Interplay between State and Civil Society
o Markets, Trade and Investment
o History, Archaeology and Art History
o Health Care and Well-being
o Gender and Sexuality in a Cultural Landscape

Currently organised panels include scholars such as:
- Dr Elizabeth Moore (National University of Singapore)
- Dr Lalita Hanwong (Mahasarakham University)
- Dr Ashley South (Independent Researcher)
- Dr Unborat Pantumin (Chiang Mai University)
- Dr Amporn Jirattikorn (Chiang Mai University)
- Dr Mauang Maung Aye (Yangon University)
- Dr Thein Swe (Advisor to the ADB)
- Dr Thapin Patcharanurak (Chiang Mai University)
- Dr Jane Ferguson (Australian National University)
- Kevin Woods (University of California - Berkeley)
- Dr Carl Middleton (Chulalongkorn University)
- Dr Alexander Horstmann (University of Copenhagen)
- Dr Decha Tangseefa (Thammasat University)

The call for submitting papers for the conference closed on 30th of April.

Registration:

The registration fee is 2,500 Baht for regular participant/observer and 1,500 Baht for student which includes lunch, refreshment, reception and conference kits.

On-line registration opens from the 15th of May and closes on the 10th of July 2015 and can be made at the conference website.

Other information visa and accommodation can also be found on the website.

Contact
ICBMS Secretariat
Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai University
239 Huay Kaew Road, Tambon Suthep, Amphoe Muang, Chiang Mai 50200
E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected].
URL: http://rcsd.soc.cmu.ac.th/web/Burma/home.php