Myanmar Update 2017 Call for Papers

Proposals due by 30 June 2016, with the conference to take place at the Australian National University on 17-18 February 2017.

The formation of a new government in Myanmar, led by the National League for Democracy, is a crucially important milestone in the country’s political transformation. This profound change is being matched by similarly far-reaching shifts in Myanmar’s economic, social and cultural landscape.

The 2017 Myanmar Update will address these multiple transformations.

The conference will be hosted by the ANU Myanmar Research Centre, supported by the Department of Political and Social Change, in the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs and the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific.

The conference conveners invite paper proposals from interested academics, analysts, researchers, and professionals, that address the overall theme of transformation in any of the following topic areas: politics (international, regional, national and sub-national); economy; welfare; justice; gender; youth; religion; migration; and ethnicity. Perspectives from urban and rural Myanmar are encouraged. And papers that challenge the theme of transformation are also very welcome!

Papers will be grouped into sessions addressing these different topic areas. In addition to these sessions, the conference will include a keynote address, and political and economic update papers.

As in previous Updates, the conveners are interested in receiving proposals from new voices, both within academia and outside it. We are particularly interested, of course, in new voices from Myanmar. We are happy to provide advice and guidance to participants who may have limited experience in international conference presentations. Paper proposals in Burmese will be accepted and, if required, translation services will be available for their presentation at the conference.

To submit a proposal, please send a paper title, nominated topic-area, and an abstract of no more than 300 words. The abstract should show how the paper will address the overall theme of transformation. Please also provide a one-page CV. Proposals should be submitted to [email protected] no later than 30 June 2016.

Outcomes of the paper selection process will be advised within four weeks of the deadline. The conveners may request that proposals be revised in order to address issues not covered by other presenters.

Presenters will be required to provide a full draft of the paper (up to 8,000 words) by 18 November 2016. A revised draft for publication will be required two months after the conference in order to meet deadlines for publication.

Some funding will be available to support the travel and accommodation of presenters. This will be allocated on a needs basis.

The Myanmar Update has been running since 1990. Details of previous conferences and publications are available here: http://myanmar.anu.edu.au/events/myanmarburma-update/2017-myanmar-update

For further information, please contact the conveners:

Andrew Walker, Professor of Southeast Asian Studies, Department of Political and Social Change, ANU, [email protected]

Chit Win, Research Scholar, Department of Political and Social Change, ANU, [email protected]

Gerard McCarthy, Research Scholar, Department of Political and Social Change, ANU, [email protected]

Justine Chambers, Research Scholar, Department of Anthropology, ANU, [email protected]

Nicholas Farrelly, Director, Myanmar Research Centre, ANU, [email protected]