Those Men in Saffron Robes

Abstract

The sangha in Myanmar is often considered by some scholars to be a “loose,” “autonomous,” “democratic,” and “de-centralized” organization that does not resemble a “church” in the Western sense of the term. Yet, when it serves certain ideological purposes — particularly when many in saffron robes march against a government one does not like — then, the sangha suddenly becomes a cohesive and ideologically united organization. But when the crisis is over, and one wants it to be no longer monolithic — that is, when one desires to promote its anti-centralist nature and Government’s effeteness in controlling it — then it returns once again to being a “loosely” organized autonomous, and “democratic” organization. Scholarship on the Myanmar sangha needs far more consistent methodology, rigorous analysis, better use of original evidence, and a longer historical context in which to “locate” it than heretofore realized. This is particularly crucial when interpreting highly-charged, emotional, and sensational events such as the so-called “Saffron Revolution” of 2007, which turns out to be neither “saffron” nor “revolutionary.” This becomes most clear when the sangha , as in this article, is studied not in isolation and out of historical context, but within a long-term and intimate relationship with the state.