When the War Comes Home

About this episode

Naw Moo Moo Paw discusses her experiences growing up in a conflict zone and her research on the impact of political violence on communities.

Episode #553: Naw Moo Moo Paw grew up in a Karen village near Bago where conflict and landmines were part of everyday life. “I have seen a lot of people injured or die because of the war and intense conflict,” she says. “This is very normal for me.” Today, she is a PhD candidate in Global Studies at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, where her research focuses on what happens to people, their bodies, livelihoods, and place in their communities affected by political violence. She has interviewed civilians, injured soldiers, and active resistance fighters, gaining access to armed groups most outside researchers cannot reach. Resistance groups in ethnic Karen communities have used landmines primarily as a defensive tactic, but the warnings offered to civilians are frequently imprecise. For many, the warning changes little. “Civilians, they have to work on a daily basis, so that they can survive, for their economy, to take care of their family.” People are warned, but they have to go on with their lives. She finds that accountability is increasingly difficult to establish. Mines captured from military bases are reused by resistance groups, propaganda obscures who planted what…

People in this episode

Guest: Naw Moo Moo Paw

Topics covered

• war
• political violence
• landmines
• civilians
• resistance groups
• accountability

Keywords

• war
• landmines
• political violence
• civilians
• Karen communities
• resistance groups
• accountability

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Massachusetts Lowell

Places: Karen, Bago

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