Burma's Ethnic-Based Citizenship Regime: The Case of the 1982 Citizenship Law

Main Article Content

Sirada Khemanitthathai

Abstract

The 1982 Burmese Citizenship Law was an instrument of General Ne Win’s Burmese military government in the establishment of the Burmese citizenship regime. It is a law involving with the reproduction of the concept of national races or  “Taingyintha”. As Burma is an ethnically diverse country, the creation of citizenship is a critical part of Burma’s nation-building process, of which complies with only the dominant Burman or Bamar political elites. In this academic article, the author aims to demonstrate three aspects of ethnic-based conflicts in the Burma’s citizenship. Firstly, the politics of classification leads to a hierarchy of citizenship status. Secondly, the construction of national imagination through the concept of nativity or Taingyintha has supported the constructed narrative of the long-established Burma nation since the pre-colonial era, despite the fact that Burma as a modern state was formed after its independence. Thirdly, the article discusses citizenship through ethnic consciousness that reiterates ethnic essentialism.

Article Details

How to Cite
Khemanitthathai, S. (2023). Burma’s Ethnic-Based Citizenship Regime: The Case of the 1982 Citizenship Law. Political Science and Public Administration Journal, 14(2), 137–156. Retrieved from https://so05.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/polscicmujournal/article/view/268203
Section
Academic Article

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