Narratives of Siege:  Buddhist/Muslim Conflict in Contemporary Myanmar

John Holt, Professor of the Humanities in Religion and Asian Studies, Bowdoin College 

February 29, 4:30 pm Sever Hall 213 (see map)

The severe violence that erupted in 2012 between Arakanese Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims in the Rakhine state of western Myanmar has devolved into a national controversy in the ensuing political life of the country.  In this presentation I will profile perspectives of articulate and representative Rohingyas, Arakanese Buddhists and Bamar (Burmese) Buddhist in order to understand the triangulated nature of tensions existing between all three communities.