While most of Asia’s major cities are increasingly homogenized by rapid economic growth and cultural globalization, Rangoon, which is Burma’s former capital and largest city, still bears the imprint of a unique and often turbulent history. It is the site of the Shwedagon Pagoda, a focus of Buddhist pilgrimage and devotion since the early second millennium C.E. that continues to play a major role in national life. In 1852, the British occupied Rangoon and made it their colonial capital, building a modern port and administrative center based on western designs. It became the capital of independent Burma in 1948, but in 2005 the State Peace and Development Council military junta established a new, heavily fortified capital at Naypyidaw, 320 kilometers north of the old capital. 
A major motive for the capital relocation was the regime’s desire to put distance between itself and Rangoon’s historically restive population. Reacting to the huge anti-government demonstrations of "Democracy Summer" in 1988, the new military regime used massive violence to pacify the city and sought to transform it in line with its supreme goal of state security. However, the "Saffron Revolution" of September 2007 showed that Rangoon’s traditions of resistance reaching back to the colonial era are still very much alive.

State and Society in Modern Rangoon (Asia's Transformations)

Biographies & Memoirs

Seekins, Donald M.

Arts & Literature

Routledge

Burma (Myanmar) is a country in crisis, and a political resolution to its problems of national unity seems unlikely to occur in the near future. The purpose of the Historical Dictionary of Burma (Myanmar) is to explain in depth the country's political crisis, while also providing detailed historical background. While paying much attention to the personalities and events of the 1962-1988 Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP) period, the dictionary focuses on the events, institutions, and personalities of 1988, when a nationwide movement for democracy resulted in the collapse of the BSPP regime, and the post-1988 period, when Burma was ruled by a military junta, the State Law and Order Restoration Council, which, after 1997, changed its name to the State Peace and Development Council. Through the use of maps, a list of acronyms, a chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, and hundreds of cross-referenced dictionary entries on important persons, places, and events as well as political, economic, and social background, the history of this country is unfolded. Everything from major figures such as Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, whose non-violent struggle for democracy won her the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize, to the issue of economic sanctions versus "constructive engagement" is discussed in this important resource.

Historical Dictionary of Burma (Myanmar) (Historical Dictionaries of Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East)

History

Asia

Scarecrow Press

Burma (Myanmar) is a country in crisis, and a political resolution to its problems of national unity seems unlikely to occur in the near future. The purpose of The A to Z of Burma (Myanmar) is to explain in depth the country's political crisis, while also providing detailed historical background. While paying much attention to the personalities and events of the 1962-1988 Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP) period, the dictionary focuses on the events, institutions, and personalities of 1988, when a nationwide movement for democracy resulted in the collapse of the BSPP regime, and the post-1988 period, when Burma was ruled by a military junta, the State Law and Order Restoration Council, which, after 1997, changed its name to the State Peace and Development Council.Through the use of maps, a list of acronyms, a chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, and hundreds of cross-referenced dictionary entries on important persons, places, and events as well as political, economic, and social background, the history of this country is unfolded. Everything from major figures such as Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, whose non-violent struggle for democracy won her the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize, to the issue of economic sanctions versus "constructive engagement" is discussed in this important resource.

The A to Z of Burma (Myanmar) (Volume 206) (The A to Z Guide Series, 206)

While most of Asia’s major cities are increasingly homogenized by rapid economic growth and cultural globalization, Rangoon, which is Burma’s former capital and largest city, still bears the imprint of a unique and often turbulent history. It is the site of the Shwedagon Pagoda, a focus of Buddhist pilgrimage and devotion since the early second millennium C.E. that continues to play a major role in national life. In 1852, the British occupied Rangoon and made it their colonial capital, building a modern port and administrative center based on western designs. It became the capital of independent Burma in 1948, but in 2005 the State Peace and Development Council military junta established a new, heavily fortified capital at Naypyidaw, 320 kilometers north of the old capital. A major motive for the capital relocation was the regime’s desire to put distance between itself and Rangoon’s historically restive population. Reacting to the huge anti-government demonstrations of "Democracy Summer" in 1988, the new military regime used massive violence to pacify the city and sought to transform it in line with its supreme goal of state security. However, the "Saffron Revolution" of September 2007 showed that Rangoon’s traditions of resistance reaching back to the colonial era are still very much alive.

Reference

Burma (Myanmar) is a Southeast Asian country that is emerging from crisis after more than a half century of hard-line military rule and cultural, diplomatic and economic isolation. With the dissolution of its military regime, the State Peace and Development Council, in 2011, a formally civilian but military-dominated constitutional government was inaugurated. By 2012, Burma’s president, retired General Thein Sein, had established a working relationship with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the country’s pro-democracy movement since 1988, and after a 2012 by-election she and members of her opposition party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), entered the new Union Parliament as legislators. However, even with the election victory of Daw Suu Kyi and the NLD in the General Election of November 2015, Burma faces daunting challenges: it is still one of the poorest countries in Southeast, fissured by longstanding ethnic conflicts that have made a nationwide peace agreement elusive and its people’s security and the environment are threatened by foreign economic exploitation. Religious discord is also widely evident, as Buddhist militants instigate violence against the country’s religious minorities, especially Muslims. Today Burma’s prospects are the most hopeful they have been for over half a century, as the country takes steps along the road to a more open society and economy. This edition of the Historical Dictionary of Burma (Myanmar) encompasses not only current developments, but also Burma’s over 1,500 years-old recorded history and the most important features of its cultures, ethnicity, religions, society and economy. This is done through achronology, an introduction, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 700 cross-referenced entries on important personalities, politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture.

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Modern Myanmar/Burma is very much a creation of World War II, when the British colony was occupied by the Japanese, and its immediate aftermath. These years saw the rise of Aung San and his assassination, as well as the establishment of military forces by the Japanese (subsequently evolving into today's ruling junta) and a sharp escalation of inter-ethnic antagonism and violence. Tracing Burma-Japan relations since 1940, this volume will be of value not only for an understanding of post-war Japanese diplomacy and aid programs, but also because it offers new material and insights on the ongoing story of Burma itself.

Burma and Japan Since 1940: From 'Co-Prosperity' to 'Quiet Dialogue' (Nordic Institute of Asian Studies Monograph)

NIAS Press

Modern Myanmar/Burma is very much a creation of World War II, when the British colony was occupied by the Japanese, and its immediate aftermath. These years saw the rise of Aung San and his assassination, as well as the establishment of military forces by the Japanese (subsequently evolving into today’s ruling junta) and a sharp escalation of inter-ethnic anatagonism and violence. Tracing Burma-Japan relations since 1940, this volume will be of value not only for an understanding of post-war Japanese diplomacy and aid programs, but also because it offers new material and insights on the ongoing story of Burma itself.

Burma and Japan Since 1940: From 'Co-Prosperity' to 'Quiet Dialogue' (NIAS Monographs, 106)

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Seekins, Donald M.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Seekins, Donald M.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Seekins, Donald M.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

State and Society in Modern Rangoon (Asia's Transformations)

Historical Dictionary of Burma (Myanmar) (Historical Dictionaries of Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East)

The A to Z of Burma (Myanmar) (Volume 206) (The A to Z Guide Series, 206)

State and Society in Modern Rangoon (Asia's Transformations)

Historical Dictionary of Burma (Myanmar) (Historical Dictionaries of Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East)

Burma and Japan Since 1940: From 'Co-Prosperity' to 'Quiet Dialogue' (Nordic Institute of Asian Studies Monograph)

Burma and Japan Since 1940: From 'Co-Prosperity' to 'Quiet Dialogue' (NIAS Monographs, 106)