This book examines British imperialism in late colonial Burma to study how imperialists attempted to protect their strategic and economic interests after decolonisation: they did so by supporting ethnonationalism. This process resembles the Cold War tactic of "containment," and the book makes a crucial contribution to the study of modern imperialism by demonstrating the continuity between "containment's" late- and "neo"-colonial manifestations. For Burma/Myanmar, it also explores the origin of the present-day military junta's racial regime: it emphasizes the protection of the ethnoreligious majority from ethnic minority insurgency. The Rohingya people are currently suffering a genocide because of this racial regime. As the country endures civil war against the junta, this book highlights how ethnonationalists in the late colonial period first promoted this racial regime to seize power and prevent revolution, a process supported by British imperialists for their own ends.

About the Author
Matthew Bowser is Assistant Professor of Asian History at Alabama A&M University


Book Information
ISBN 9781526187949
Author Matthew Bowser
Format Hardback
Page Count 256
Imprint Manchester University Press
Publisher Manchester University Press
Weight(grams) 538g
Dimensions(mm) 234mm * 156mm * 16mm