Everyday Forms of Resistance and Political Killings in Post-coup Myanmar after 2021

Abstract

From 1962 until 2010, Myanmar lived under one military junta or another. This shaped how Myanmar people perceived the world and their behavior. This includes spelling the names of places in an officially prescribed way or adhering to specific clothing and hairstyles. This worldview and behavior remained unproblematic until the February 2021 coup. After the coup, some people changed their worldview and behavior; when writing, they started deviating from the official standardized spelling and calling places by their unofficial names. On one level, this can be interpreted as a variation of James Scott's "everyday forms of resistance," in which people who are not willing to join armed resistance groups revolt subtly against the state. On another level, this can be seen as an attempt on the part of anti-military individuals to single themselves out from military supporters. This division of us versus them is necessary. Since the February 2021 coup, political killings have been rampant throughout the country. This tendency to eliminate one's opponent is a dominant feature of Myanmar political culture, and the victims were picked out due to their differences in behavior vis-à-vis the perpetrators. To understand the political violence happening in Myanmar, it is necessary to grasp the role political killings play in post-coup Myanmar politics and how victims are selected and singled out based on their behavior. This paper will display the connection between "everyday forms of resistance" and "political killings" in post-coup Myanmar, mainly how "everyday forms of resistance" serve as criteria for selecting victims.