Reflective Practice Seminar - Structural Analysis of Inter-religious Conflict: Lessons from Myanmar’s Buddhist-Muslim Relations

Reflective Practice Seminar

Structural Analysis of Inter-religious Conflict: Lessons from Myanmar’s Buddhist-Muslim Relations

Thursday, April 13, 2017
3:00pm - 4:00pm
Metropolitan Building, Room 5183

During the past several years, government and civil society initiatives in Myanmar achieved many significant changes. These changes include free and fair elections, freedom of the press, the exponential growth of social media, an increase in international investment and trade, more diversity in educational offerings, and the development of a peace process aimed at building a multi-ethnic federal state. The recent rise of interreligious and intercommunal violence, however, is seriously undermining Myanmar’s democratization efforts. The plight of the stateless Muslim community in the western Burmese state of Rakhine and the rise of Buddhist-inspired movements to counter the perceived growth of Muslim influence illustrate this tension. What is driving this tension is the deep culture and structure of Myanmar’s identity politics, military-industrial complex, and socio-economic deprivation derived from the past five decades of military rule. Interfaith dialogues and exchanges designed to promote interfaith confidence-building and coexistence must take these long-standing challenges into consideration. Recognizing these challenges, this presentation will explore the distinct structure and dynamics of interfaith relations in Myanmar based on the past five years of field research and peacebuilding practice. It will then explore the implications of the analysis for interfaith dialogue and relationship-building. The presentation will demonstrate a unique model of practitioner inquiry that actively incorporates non-Western paradigms of thinking for theory-building.

Background readings include:

• Arai, T. 2014. Conflict as an opportunity. The Myanmar Times. http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/opinion/12139-conflict-as-an-opportunit...