ASIAN 2208 Introduction to Southeast Asia: Myanmar (Burma)

This 2nd edition of the Historical Dictionary of Burma (Myanmar) encompasses not only current developments, but also Burma's over 1,500 years-old recorded history. Includes a chronology, an introduction, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 700 cross-referenced entries on important personalities, politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture. Be certain to read the Introduction to the Bibliography (pages 589-596)

The book traces the traditions and transformations of Myanmar's communities over nearly three millennia, from the relics of its Neolithic civilization to the splendors of its pre-colonial kingdoms, its encounters with British colonialism and the struggles for the republic that followed the end of World War II. This updated edition considers the changes that have taken place since the elections of 2010, the reforms that the civilian government introduced, and the ramifications of the country's new international status. The most comprehensive history of Myanmar ever published in the English language...

"David I. Steinberg offers an updated second edition of Burma/Myanmar: What Everyone Needs to Know. More than ever, the history, culture, and internal politics of this country are crucial to understanding the breaking headlines emerging from it today and placing them in a broader context. Geographically strategic, Burma/Myanmar lies between the growing powers of China and India, and has a thousand-year history as an important realm in the region--yet it is mostly unknown to Westerners."

"This text provides a thorough examination of the history of Myanmar from Neolithic times to the present. Provides a chronology of the key events in Myanmar's history, maps of early Kobang Burma and of Indochina (showing the proposed Burma-Siam-China railway). A bibliography of significant materials allows continued study of Myanmar. Includes more than 40 biographical sketches of the key figures in the history of Myanmar.

"Thant Myint-U tells the story of modern Burma, and the story of his own family, in an interwoven narrative that is by turns lyrical, dramatic, and deeply affecting. Through his prominent family's stories and those of others, he portrays Burma's rise and decline in the modern world, from the time of Portuguese pirates and renegade Mughal princes through a sixty-year civil war." The New Yorker says "brilliant... a balanced, thorough and serious history."

.."the body of the Handbook is divided into seven core sections:" Fundamentals" Spaces" Cultures" Living" Governance" International" Challenges, written by an international team of scholars.... Handbook also considers the impact of major environmental, strategic, and demographic trends which help underscore that Myanmar's development will be an ongoing task