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This book paints a clear picture of Burmese political and social dynamics between 1948–2024 that is not distorted by seeing Burma as simply another case of western-inspired democratization or its failure.
The book makes the argument that instead of focusing exclusively on the faults of Burma’s army-state and political leaders, the country’s spatial constitution is fundamental to understanding its post-1948 failure to achieve national unity. Throughout the analysis, Seekins reveals how the struggle to defend space from the homogenizing and coercive power of the state is essentially one of autonomy.
Introduction: Spatiality and the State
1. Burma’s Fundamental Spatial Characteristics
2. The Five Enemies of Man
3. The Border Areas
4. Yangon: The ‘Dangerous’ City
5. Cities of the Past and Future: Mandalay and Naypyidaw
6. Buddhism and Spatiality in Burma
7. Conclusion: Is There a Way Out for Burma?