Myanmar : state, society and ethnicity / edited by N. Ganesan and Kyaw Yin Hlaing.

"This edited volume is the outcome of two workshops convened at the Hiroshima Peace Institute in March and October 2005 ... [which] were in turn part of a larger project entitled the 'Myanmar Peace Intiative' ..."--Vii.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

State-society relations in Southeast Asia / N. Ganesan -- Minorities and state-building in mainland Southeast Asia / Rachel M. Safman -- British policy towards Myanmar and the creation of the 'Burma problem' / Robert H. Taylor -- Between democracy and economic development : Japan's policy towards Burma/Myanmar then and now / Kei Nemoto -- Legitimacy in Burma/Myanmar : concepts and implications / David I. Steinberg -- Associational life in Myanmar : past and present / Kyaw Yin Hlaing -- Mapping the contours of human security challenges in Myanmar / Tin Maung Maung Than -- Reflections on confidence-building and cooperation among ethnic groups in Myanmar : a Karen case study / Alan Saw U -- Peace initiatives among ethnic nationalities : the Kachin case / Ja Nan Lahtaw -- The Shan in Myanmar / Sai Kham Mong -- Reality check on the sanctions policy against Myanmar / Khin Zaw win.

Focusing on some of the most important and topical questions about Myanmar, contributors to this book look at issues of historical influence and political considerations that have shaped the dominant thinking within the state and the military. There are equally important studies of sensitive topics like the political economy of the state and the level of human security in the country. The three ethnics groups--Karen, Kachin, and Shan--are also studied in detail. Some of the negotiations between the Karen and Kachin ethnic insurgent group representatives on the one hand, and the military junta on the other, are spelled out in detail. An important corollary finding is the importance of religion and religious personalities in brokering peace between the ethnic groups and the military government. Finally, the book deals with how the various ethnic groups are trying to cope with decades of conflict and reconstruct their communities.