General Ne Win’s Legacy of Burmanization in Myanmar

Saw Eh Htoo was born in the Irrawaddy River Delta in 1976, to a Karen family. He later moved to Yangon where he studied Philosophy (B.A.), Christian Studies (M.A.) and Cultural Anthropology (M.A.). At the time of his death he was completing his PhD dissertation at Payap University, Chiangmai, on which this book is based. He founded a Myanmar NGO Kaw Lah Foundation which did applied field research in Rakhine, Chin, Shan and Kayin (Karen) States; and Bago Region in Myanmar.Tony Waters is a Professor of Sociology currently at Leuphana University (Germany). Previously he taught at Payap University in Thailand, and at California State University, Chico, USA. He is the author of academic books and articles dealing with issues of social theory, East Africa, mainland Southeast Asia, refugees, and other sociological subjects.

“This book is ... an invaluable contribution to Burmese studies, and is surely indispensable for scholars, students, policymakers, and more keenly interested in Burma and Southeast Asia.” (Pum Za Mang, International Journal of Public Theology, Vol. 19 (2), June, 2025)

• Part I: Introduction: Why Burmanization is Important.- Chapter 1: Eh Htoo’s Auto-biography.- Chapter 2: Why Ne Win’s Burmanization Policies are Still Important Sixty Years Later: The Burmese Burden.- Part II: The Historical Origins of Burmanization.- Chapter 3: Historical Narratives and Burmanization (1824-1947).- Chapter 4: Aung San, U Nu, and Ne Win Create a New Country (1948-1962).- Chapter 5: Ne Win’s Burmanization Ideology: The Burmese Way to Socialism (1962-1966).- Chapter 6: Ne Win’s Political Ideology: One Culture, One Economy, One Military(19671989).- Chapter 7: Ne Win’s Policies after Ne Win (1988-2020) and Saw Eh Htoo’s Hopes.- Part III: The Sociology of Burmanization and the Search for Peace.- Chapter 8: The Narratives of Othering and The Sociological Consequences of Burmanization.- Chapter 9: Final Thoughts about Burmanization by Tony Waters.