Living the Civil Disobedience Movement: An Examination of the Motivations and Consequences for Myanmar's University Teachers

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Ei Khine
Mya Mya San
Coeli Barry

Abstract

          This study examines what motivated university teachers in Myanmar to leave their secure positions in the academe and join the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) in the wake of the 2021 coup there. Using a phenomenological approach and semi-structured interviews with CDM university teachers, our findings reveal a high degree of idealism and the conviction that working under military rule would not be tenable. Our research looked at the lived experiences of and longer-term consequences for the university teacher CDM participants, an issue that has not received much scholarly attention. The themes that emerged include belief that the coup was unjust, concern for democratic backsliding and worries over the working conditions within universities under military rule, as well as personal safety concerns, economic hardships, social isolation, and repercussions in their professional lives. In communicating through the interviewees' words what it is like to continue to survive, our findings also allow us to identify some common issues. By looking at the economic and emotional, as well as professional, consequences of 'living CDM' and capturing insights into how people survive, we enrich post-coup Myanmar studies and the study of civil disobedience more widely. 

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Research Article

References

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