About the Paper

One of the biggest challenges facing Myanmar today is its lack of a cohesive national identity. Its colonial legacy and half a century of authoritarian rule has reified group divisions and hardened societal cleavages, leading to negative, and sometimes outright hostile, relations between different groups. Against this background, the authors discuss how the Myanmar youth perceive their social identity, in particular national identity, and how they conceptualize notions of citizenship within the Myanmar context, as well as the implications of the coup and the post-coup experience for the youth’s perceptions of social identity and interethnic relations in Myanmar.

About the Authors

Isabel Chew is a PhD candidate in political science at the University of British Columbia. Prior to starting her PhD, Isabel was a policy consultant for governments in Southeast Asia and east Africa. She holds an MA in Southeast Asian studies from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Jangai Jap is an early career provost fellow in the Department of Government and a postdoctoral fellow in the Politics of Race and Ethnicity Lab at the University of Texas at Austin. She has a PhD in political science from George Washington University.

This research was funded by USIP’s Asia Center, which is solely responsible for the accuracy and thoroughness of the content.


Related Research & Analysis

The Current Situation in Burma

The Current Situation in Burma

Monday, February 10, 2025

Following 10 years of gradual progress on political and economic liberalization—and a landslide victory for the NLD in the 2020 election—the Burmese army took power in a coup on February 1, 2021, just hours before the newly elected members of Parliament were set to convene. The army has quickly reversed hard-won progress toward democracy and human rights in Burma. It has arrested elected officials, activists, and journalists, done away with even the most basic civil and political rights, blocked access to social media, and, intermittently, to the internet entirely.

Type: Fact Sheet

China’s Rhetoric on Myanmar Doesn’t Match Reality

China’s Rhetoric on Myanmar Doesn’t Match Reality

Thursday, January 30, 2025

As Myanmar’s civil war grinds on and increasingly threatens China’s interests, Beijing has stepped up its engagement with all sides, especially Myanmar’s junta. The announcement that China and the junta plan to “establish a joint security company to protect Chinese investments and personnel in Myanmar” has raised concerns and speculation that this initiative could worsen the conflict and endanger the Myanmar people and Chinese nationals working in Myanmar.

Type: Analysis

Myanmar’s Escalating Crisis: A Year in Review and the Road Ahead

Myanmar’s Escalating Crisis: A Year in Review and the Road Ahead

Wednesday, January 15, 2025

Myanmar's post-coup conflict has now stretched into its fourth year, with no resolution in sight. Far from subsiding, the conflict has escalated dramatically. Last year was particularly devastating for the Myanmar military, marking its worst losses in history. The fall of key military strongholds in Lashio and Ann stands as the most significant events but is only part of a broader pattern of losses; 91 towns and 167 military battalions have been lost, signaling a crisis of unprecedented scale for the regime.

Type: Analysis

How Crime in Southeast Asia Fits into China’s Global Security Initiative

How Crime in Southeast Asia Fits into China’s Global Security Initiative

Wednesday, January 8, 2025

For decades, mainland Southeast Asia has been a center for transnational criminal activities, including drug trafficking, money laundering and, most recently, online scam operations. After several governments in Southeast Asia cracked down on criminal gangs over the last decade, many of them — particularly those that are Chinese-run — have relocated to the Golden Triangle region, where the borders of Myanmar, Laos and Thailand meet. Some have also moved to autonomous Special Economic Zones, such as those in Laos and Myanmar, that are in some cases under the rule of local militias and where regulations are limited. China has been watching these developments closely.

Type: Analysis

View All Research & Analysis