Union of Myanmar and its ethnic nationalities: Is diversity or differential treatment of diversity the problem?
The purpose of this paper is to argue that diversity is not the cause of ethnic conflicts and divisions in Myanmar but rather the differential treatment on diversity is the problem creating all those ethnic conflicts and divisions. This paper is written in four parts. The question of who and what is “tain yin thar” and how different groups in Myanmar society perceive of the definition of “tain yin thar” is discussed in part one of the paper. In part two, the effects of Bamar-centric nation building and the institutionalized dominance of Burmese identity to different ethnic groups in Myanmar is discussed while part three questions incoherency of the categorization and grouping of the so-called 135 ethnic groups of Myanmar. Part four of the paper focused the discussion on the differential granting of political rights to ethnic groups in Myanmar.
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