The Rohingya Refugee Crisis, Rakhine Regionalism, and Burmese Nationalism

• In Event: Citizenship in the Peripheries: Identities in SE Asia (Mini-Conference 3/3)

Abstract

Why have the Rakhine Rohingyas failed to assimilate with the Burmese national identity? The ongoing conflict between the Rohingya Muslims, Rakhines and Burman-led state has led to numerous humanitarian crises including the recent exodus of nearly 700,000 Rohingyas to Bangladesh in 2017. In this paper, I explore the reasons behind the ongoing conflict between the Rohingyas, Rakhines and the Burmese government; specifically, the reasons for the continued attempts and demands for autonomy by Rohingya separatist movements. Here, I will examine the role of religion on Rohingya nationalism, especially the rise of extreme Buddhist nationalist movements that sparked ill feelings toward non-Buddhist groups including the Rohingya Muslims. Furthermore, I look at the effect of Burman government’s discriminatory policies on nationalist sentiments, such as the Citizenship Law that does not legally recognize Rohingyas as an official ethnic group and thus denying them citizenship.

Author

• Hyo-Won Shin, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign