Living Silence in Burma Surviving under Military Rule, Second Edition

This new, thoroughly updated, edition of Christina Fink's acclaimed account gives powerful insights into the life of ordinary Burmese people. Through extensive interviews conducted inside and outside the country she builds a richly textured picture of how people cope with their daily life -- and some innovative forms of resistance. In recent years, international engagement with Burma has grown. Increasing numbers of Burmese live and work abroad. Can the regime sustain itself in the face of the economic deterioration at home? The brutal repression of demonstrations in 2007 was a desperate response to a political opposition better informed and more united than ever before. This is a book anyone with an interest in Burma needs to read.

Christina Fink is a Program Associate and Lecturer at the International Sustainable Development Studies Institute and Program Coordinator and Lecturer in the Foreign Affairs Training Program, Chiang Mai, Thailand and Honorary Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology, Hong Kong.

Introduction * Historical Legacies * The Ne Win Years, 1962-88 * Breaking the Silence, 1988-90 * Military Rule Continues, 1990-2000 * The Than Shwe Years, 2000 and Beyond * Families: Fostering Conformity * Communities: Going with the Flow * The Military: A Life Sentence * Prison: 'Life University' * Education: Floating Books and Bathroom Tracts * The Artistic Community: In the Dark, Every Cat is Black * Religion and Magic: Disappearing Jewels and Poltergeists * The Internationalization of Burma's Politics * Conclusion: A Different Burma