The Hidden History of Burma: Race, Capitalism, and the Crisis of Democracy in the 21st Century: Race, Capitalism, and Democracy in the 21st Century
Kindle Edition
Description
From the Publisher This paperback edition includes a revised epilogue. --This text refers to the paperback edition. Thant Myint-U is an award-winning writer, historian, and conservationist. He lives in Rangoon, where he currently heads U Thant House and the Yangon Heritage Trust. --This text refers to the hardcover edition. "Thant Myint-U is a writer with a humane sensibility and a delicate yet pointed touch....Learned yet also intimate, The Hidden History of Burma is an urgent book about a heavy subject." ― Jennifer Szalai, New York Times "Thant Myint-U's most impressive title to date, featuring anecdotes from the author’s own extraordinary life." ― Jeffrey Wasserstrom, Wall Street Journal "Thant Myint-U is the greatest living historian of Burma…His profoundly humane and ethical meditations on national identity, plurality, and the dangers of hyper-nationalism are vital to anyone trying to understand the Rohingya crisis or wrestling with the complexities of modern South or South East Asia." ― William Dalrymple, author of The Anarchy "At once absorbing, illuminating, and humane, Thant Myint-U’s work traces the complex gearings of race, identity, and money with the perspective of a scholar and the intimacy of an insider. It’s invaluable in helping us understand the complexities not just of contemporary Burma but of our postcolonial world." ― Kwame Anthony Appiah, author of The Lies That Bind: Rethinking Identity "An engrossing new book about Myanmar’s troubled, unfinished transition from dictatorship to democratic rule... The Hidden History of Burma should become a guiding reference work for how we view the new Myanmar." ― Josh Reed, Financial Times "The book on Burma I’ve been waiting to read―a riveting behind-the-scenes account of the country’s political and social transition over recent years, a brave unravelling of well-worn myths, and an urgent plea to imagine a new story and better future for Burma." ― Emma Larkin, author of Finding George Orwell in Burma "Thant Myint-U deftly weaves together factors as diverse as nationalism, capitalism, geopolitics, and social media into a clear-eyed analysis of Burma’s troubled past and present. An essential read for anyone who wants to understand Burma and the challenges it must face in the coming decades." ― Kishore Mahbubani, author of Has the West Lost It? A Provocation "Few countries are as complex―or fascinating―as modern-day Burma. In these pages, Thant Myint-U explains the country’s fifteen-year transformation from military junta to peaceful democracy to divided and fractured post-crisis country. A must-read book, not just for those interested in Burma, but for those interested in broader questions of race, national identity and democracy in our 21st-century world." ― Ian Bremmer, author of Us vs. Them: The Failure of Globalism "Acute yet empathetic, this book is essential reading for all those interested in the future of Asia and the subcontinent." ― Shivshankar Menon, former foreign secretary of India --This text refers to the hardcover edition. Read more
Features & Highlights
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- New York Times
- Critics' Top Book of 2019A
- Foreign Affairs
- Best Book of 2020“An urgent book.” —Jennifer Szalai,
- New York Times
- During a century of colonialism, Burma was plundered for its natural resources and remade as a racial hierarchy. Over decades of dictatorship, it suffered civil war, repression, and deep poverty. Today, Burma faces a mountain of challenges: crony capitalism, exploding inequality, rising ethnonationalism, extreme racial violence, climate change, multibillion dollar criminal networks, and the power of China next door. Thant Myint-U shows how the country’s past shapes its recent and almost unbelievable attempt to create a new democracy in the heart of Asia, and helps to answer the big questions: Can this multicultural country of 55 million succeed? And what does Burma’s story really tell us about the most critical issues of our time?
