The Emergence of Ethnic Politics in 1940s Myanmar: Karens and Thakin Historiography

Thakins are people who see themselves as part of the lineage of the Dobama Asiayone (We Burman Association), a “third generation” nationalist group organized in the 1930s that eventually led Myanmar to independence. Histories written from Thakins’ perspective have explained the origins of the Myanmar nation and thus united the people. However, it has also made Thakins’ authority absolute, marginalized and excluded some sections of the people, and covered up Thakins’ failures. The crucial area of Burmese history that has been made invisible is the history of ethnic issues and politics. Early English-language studies, which began with colonial historians, had an affiliation with the Thakin historiography. This article examines the beginning of ethnic politics in 1947, which has been overshadowed by these two historical filters. The main political actors were the Thakins and the Christian Karens. The Thakins of the Anti-Fascist People’s Freedom League sought to unite the various ethnic groups into an independent Myanmar of their own design, while the Karens, based on their history of conflict and cooperation with Thakins in the 1940s, sought to unite as Karens. For other ethnic groups, such as the Rakhine, Mon, Shan, and Rohingya, 1947 also marked the beginning of ethnic politics.