Burma or Myanmar?
Governments, news organizations, and others around the world have struggled with the question of whether to use the name Myanmar (pronounced “myan-mah”) to refer to the country traditionally known as Burma.
Burma has been ruled by a repressive military dictatorship since a coup d’état ended democratic governance in 1962. After holding free elections in 1990, the government annulled those elections when it lost decisively. The government continues to hold more than two thousand political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the party that won the 1990 election.
The military junta changed the name of the country to Myanmar in 1989, a year after thousands were killed in the suppression of a popular uprising. (They also renamed the city of Rangoon as Yangon.) While countries such as France and Japan, as well as the United Nations, have recognized the name change, the United States, the UK, and many other countries have not.
The words Burma and Myanmar derive from the same source and mean essentially the same thing; Burma is a spoken form and Myanmar is a literary form. Some advocates of the name Myanmar feel that it is less associated with the country’s colonial past than the form Burma, which was used by the country’s British rulers. (When the country was under British rule before 1948, it was called Burma in English and “Bama” or “Myanma” in Burmese.)
But use of the term Myanmar is also perceived as an indication of softness toward the present repressive regime that asserts the right to have instituted this change. The country’s pro-democracy movement and many others around the world do not regard the junta as a legitimate government, and many argue that recognizing its authority to change the country’s name implies that it has a degree of legitimacy as a government.
News agencies have responded in a variety of ways. While the New York Times calls the country Myanmar, for example, the Washington Post calls it Burma.
The Asian Art Museum follows the official United States government policy of referring to the country as Burma, on the grounds that the military junta has not been recognized as a legitimate governing body and consequently is not empowered to change the nation’s name.
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6 Responses to “Burma or Myanmar?”
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Nancy on August 22nd, 2009 at 1:22 pm
I am very much looking forward to the exhibit because what I’ve seen of the art is astonishingly beautiful. But I’m also using this opportunity to educate myself on a little known part of the world – one with a very tragic history. I hope that more visitors to upcoming show “Emerald Cities” will do the same and that an effective groundswell of public opinion will be able to create some real change.
I’m not optimistic but if I (we) are ignorant of where Burma even is, much less its tragic current history, how can we push for change?
Of course, we need to start at home first but I am always in favor of education in history, art and culture.
xensen on August 24th, 2009 at 3:43 pm
You are right, Nancy, that the regions of this exhibition are not well understood in this country. I hope the exhibition will be of some help. Looking at beautiful things is a pretty painless way to fill in some gaps!
John Miksic on September 24th, 2009 at 1:11 am
My congratulations on what looks to be a beautiful and certainly most informative show. Wish I could get there from Singapore!
Gregg on October 9th, 2009 at 9:58 am
Excellent post. Thank you for addressing the dreadful political situation in Burma even though this is all about art. I share the hope of other commenters that through art (and food, music, and Buddihism) more people might become aware of this extraordinary land.
shwemyanmar on June 9th, 2010 at 6:24 pm
Great post!. Thanks for article about political situation in Myanmar. The name of Burma had been changed to Myanmar in 1989.
Eric Ian Brown on August 18th, 2011 at 6:54 am
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