Rights Refused: Grassroots Activism and State Violence in Myanmar

The outside world knew Myanmar as a place of a human rights struggle, but a closer look at Burmese grassroots sentiments reveals a significant schism between elite human rights cosmopolitans and subaltern Burmese subjects. Elliott Prasse-Freeman's book Rights Refused documents grassroots political activists who advocate for workers and peasants across Burma, showing how Burmese subaltern politics compel us to reconsider how rights frameworks operate everywhere.

Format: Hardback
Length: 366 pages
Publication date: 05 September 2023
Publisher: Stanford University Press

For decades, Myanmar has been known to the outside world as the site of a valiant human rights struggle against an oppressive military regime, primarily through the figure of Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi. However, a closer look at Burmese grassroots sentiments reveals a significant schism between elite human rights cosmopolitans and subaltern Burmese subjects maneuvering under brutal and negligent governance. While elites have endorsed human rights logics, subalterns are ambivalent, often going so far as to refuse rights themselves, seeing in them no more than empty promises. Such alternative perspectives became apparent during Burma's much-lauded decade-long transition from military rule that began in 2011, a period of massive change that saw an explosion of political and social activism.

How then do people conduct politics when they lack the legally and symbolically stabilizing force of rights to guarantee their incursions against injustice? In this book, Elliott Prasse-Freeman documents grassroots political activists who advocate for workers and peasants across Burma, covering not only the so-called democratic transition from 2011-2021, but also the February 2021 military coup that ended that experiment and the ongoing mass uprising against it. Taking the reader from protest camps, to flop houses, to prisons, and presenting practices as varied as courtroom immolation, occult cursing ceremonies, and land reoccupations, Rights Refused shows how Burmese subaltern politics compel us to reconsider how rights frameworks operate everywhere.

The book begins by exploring the historical roots of Burmese subaltern politics, tracing the ways in which colonialism, nationalism, and economic development have shaped the experiences of workers and peasants in the country. It then delves into the ways in which grassroots political activists have responded to these challenges, advocating for the rights of workers and peasants through a range of strategies, including labor strikes, land occupations, and political protests.

One of the key themes of the book is the ways in which grassroots political activists have navigated the complex web of state power and resistance in Burma. The authors argue that while the military regime has been able to suppress dissent through violence and repression, it has also created spaces for grassroots activism to thrive. These spaces have been particularly important during periods of economic crisis, when workers and peasants have been forced to bear the brunt of the government's policies.

The book also explores the ways in which grassroots political activists have been able to mobilize support for their causes, both within Burma and internationally. It highlights the role of social media and other forms of digital communication in spreading awareness about the struggles of workers and peasants and in building networks of support across borders.

Another important theme of the book is the ways in which grassroots political activists have been able to challenge the dominant narratives of human rights and democracy in Burma. The authors argue that while the international community has often portrayed the country as a victim of military rule, it is important to recognize that Burmese subaltern subjects have been active agents in shaping their own futures. They have been able to resist oppression and exploitation through a range of strategies, including collective bargaining, community organizing, and political activism.

Throughout the book, the authors draw on a range of sources, including interviews with grassroots political activists, academic research, and media reports. They provide a rich and nuanced account of the struggles of workers and peasants in Burma, highlighting the ways in which their experiences are shaped by a complex web of social, economic, and political factors.

In conclusion, Rights Refused is a powerful and important book that provides a valuable insight into the complex and multifaceted world of grassroots political activism in Burma. It challenges the dominant narratives of human rights and democracy in the country and offers a new perspective on the ways in which subaltern subjects are able to resist oppression and exploitation. The book is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the ongoing struggles for social justice in Burma and the broader global context of human rights activism.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781503634725