Rights Refused: Grassroots Activism and State Violence in Myanmar

The book Rights Refused by Elliott Prasse-Freeman explores the schism between elite human rights cosmopolitans and subaltern Burmese subjects, showing how grassroots political activists advocate for workers and peasants across Burma, challenging how rights frameworks operate.

Format: Paperback / softback
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 these experiences have been reproduced and exacerbated by the military regime, which has used state power to suppress dissent and maintain its grip on power.

One of the key themes of the book is the ways in which grassroots political activists have responded to these challenges. Prasse-Freeman documents the work of a range of activists, from labor organizers to peasant leaders, who have been advocating for the rights of workers and peasants in Burma for decades. These activists have faced numerous obstacles, including state repression, violence, and social marginalization, but they have continued to work tirelessly to promote their cause.

One of the most striking aspects of the book is the way in which grassroots political activists have used a range of tactics to promote their cause. These tactics include protest camps, flop houses, and prisons, where activists have staged sit-ins, hunger strikes, and other forms of resistance to the military regime. They have also used occult cursing ceremonies and land reoccupations to challenge the authority of the state and assert their claims to land and resources.

Another key theme of the book is the ways in which grassroots political activists have sought to bridge the gap between elite human rights cosmopolitans and subaltern Burmese subjects. While elites have often been dismissive of the concerns of subalterns, Prasse-Freeman argues that grassroots activists have been successful in bringing their voices to the forefront of the human rights discourse. By highlighting the experiences of subalterns and advocating for their rights, grassroots activists have been able to challenge the dominant narratives of human rights and promote a more inclusive and equitable approach to the promotion of human rights.

Overall, Rights Refused is a powerful and thought-provoking book that provides a valuable insight into the complex and multifaceted world of Burmese subaltern politics. By documenting the work of grassroots political activists and exploring the ways in which they have responded to the challenges they face, the book challenges us to reconsider how we think about the role of rights in promoting social justice and human rights.

Weight: 548g
Dimension: 152 x 229 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781503636712