Abstract
This article explores processes of place-making and space-making around the erection of the Aung San statue in Kayah state in Myanmar and draws out the competing visions of peace that are articulated through them. The raising of the statue unleashed widespread public protest, which was largely met by repression by the Myanmar authorities. Drawing on interviews, focus groups, and documentary sources, we argue that the statue constitutes an attempt to establish a post-war political order centred on the reassertion of government authority in ethnic minority areas and the creation of unity through the imposition of one national identity. However, the statue has also been appropriated as a key site for the articulation of alternative visions of peace and development. The conflict around the statue thereby makes visible ongoing struggles over the meaning of peace and shows how these post-war struggles are fought on and through space and place.
Highlights
This article explores processes of place-making and space-making around the erection of the Aung San statue in Kayah state in Myanmar and draws out the competing visions of peace that are articulated through them
We argue that spatial processes render visible post-war contestations of political order and struggles over the meaning of peace
Analysing the erection of and protests against the Aung San statue in Kayah state in Myanmar, we demonstrate the statue became a key site for how the statue constitutes a material expression of resistance and the articulation of government efforts to establish a post-war order alternative visions of peace where ethnic political equality, respect, and recognition are central features
Summary
As demonstrated by the chronology of events outlined above, the Aung San statue set in motion large-scale popular protests that mobilised people from across Kayah state. In a focus group interview, a civil society activist forcefully argued that the government’s actions in the statue case are detrimental to peace because they demonstrate that the government does not listen to or recognise the voices of local actors and communities in Kayah state: If they really analyzed the building of the General Aung San Statue . There is no peace.” In this context, mobilisation of protests against the statue claims it as a key political space for demanding recognition of the political aspirations, voices and identities of people in Kayah state. These space-making practices use the statue as a platform for resistance, articulating a vision of peace premised on mutual respect and recognition. The statue has become a focal point for local actors to articulate a vision of peace where political equality, respect, and recognition are intrinsic features and preconditions for everyday security and meaningful post-war development
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