A Life In Motion

About this episode

The episode features a conversation with H, a guest who shares his experiences of returning to Myanmar and the impact of the 2021 coup.

Episode #523: The fourth episode in our five-part series brings you conversations recorded at the 16th International Burma Studies Conference at Northern Illinois University, where scholars, students, researchers, and practitioners convened around the theme Dealing with Legacies in Burma . Held amid ongoing political turmoil and humanitarian crisis, the gathering became a rare space for open dialogue, reflection, and communal care. Insight Myanmar was invited into this environment to record discussions with a wide range of attendees, produced in partnership with NIU’s Center for Southeast Asian Studies. Through these episodes, we hope to carry listeners into the atmosphere of the conference and into dialogue with the people who continue to shape the field today. Our first guest is H, who describes returning to Myanmar from the United States in 2019, hoping to contribute during what looked like a period of national progress. But the 2021 coup shattered his hopes. Like many others, H joined the protests, and witnessed severe brutality, including shootings, beatings, and soldiers forcing a man to crawl while stomping his head. Eventually, he was arrested and spent three days in an…

People in this episode

Guest: H

Topics covered

• Burma Studies
• political turmoil
• humanitarian crisis
• dialogue
• political prisoners

Keywords

• Myanmar
• political crisis
• protests
• Insein Prison
• Burma Studies Conference

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Northern Illinois University

Places: Myanmar, Insein Prison

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