Myanmar’s Borderlands: Past, Present & Future

2024 International Interdisciplinary Conference on Myanmar’s Borderlands  |  2024 IICMB

jointly organized by 

Asia Research Center for Migration | Faculty of Political Science | Inya Institute 

hosted at

Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand

June 17-19, 2024 

online | in-person 

Myanmar’s currently expanding crisis is bringing to the fore long-standing developments and narratives about its borderlands, which now assume additional critical relevance. Of particular significance are the socio-economic, political, and cultural dynamics of communities living in areas that have been often described as “peripheries.” These communities have long been challenging the physical and administrative barriers imposed by successive government administrations and have developed their own forms of governance. 

The interdisciplinary conference’s theme is deliberately broad in the time span it covers and will offer presenters and the audience an opportunity to pursue an inclusive conversation on Myanmar’s borderlands; to consider alternate framings of these territories and their populations, not just through the typical lenses of geographical and methodological borders; and to emphasize the unique contributions of these communities to the ecosystems, history, economy, and cultures of the Southeast Asia Region and their interconnectedness. 

With this in mind, we are inviting proposals for individual papers, thematic panels, and roundtables on the following themes: 

• legacy of colonial knowledge of borderlands and their communities

• ethno-history of borderlands 

• natural resources and challenges to environmental protection in borderlands 

• communities, networks, and trade across borders 

• legal and illegal border migration 

• humanitarian relief to refugees and public health in borderlands 

• borders at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic

• border regimes and governance 

• infrastructure(s) and illicit economies and activities 

• non-human mobility in borderlands 

• formal and informal governance of borderlands 

• externalized economic development of borderlands 

• formal and non-formal education in borderlands 

• other themes related to borderlands. 

Chulalongkorn University’s Asia Research Center for Migration and Faculty of Political Science, and the Inya Institute (Yangon) invite scholars and students to submit original research papers covering any of the topics listed above, both historically and contemporary, and spanning any area of Myanmar borders with China, Laos, Thailand, Bangladesh, and India. We also welcome book presentations, movies presentations, and roundtables. 

The keynote will be delivered by Prof. Chayan Vaddhanaphuti, Director of the Regional Center for Social Science and Sustainable Development (RCSD) and Director of the Center for Ethnic Studies and Development (CESD), Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai University.

In order to preserve the confidentiality of the presenters, the conference program will not be available for circulation beyond the group of conference presenters and registrants. Conference presenters and attendees will also be expected to follow the Chatham House Rule. 

Submission of Abstracts 

All abstracts (with a 300-word limit) must use the pre-formatted template available here and be sent to the following address: 

mailto:myanmarborderlandsconference@gmail.com

Deadline for Proposals Submission extended to January 31, 2024 

Decision Notification by: February 29, 2024 

In-person Registration fees
	Early bird (by March 31, 2024)		Standard registration (from April 1, 2024)
	Non-students : $45		Non-students: $60
	Students: $25		Students: $40
	Myanmar presenters: fees waived		Myanmar presenters: fees waived

Online Registration fees
	Early bird (by March 31, 2024)		Standard registration (from April 1, 2024)
	Non-students: $20		Non-students: $30
	Students: $10		Students: $20
	Myanmar presenters: fees waived		Myanmar presenters: fees waived

Registration fees to be paid upon notification of acceptance of paper abstracts with details about the payment procedure given at that time.