Activism in Exile among Burmese Migrants in Bangkok, Chiang Mai and the Thai-Burmese Border Region (Sarah Riebel)

Sarah Riebels' doctoral thesis Activism in Exile among Burmese Migrants in Bangkok, Chiang Mai and the Thai-Burmese Border Region focuses the topic of activism in exile. The emphasis is on Burmese activists in Thailand who fled from the attempted military coup in February 2021 or from other recent conflicts in Myanmar. The forced exile of activists from Myanmar to Thailand has a complex history and a lot of activists from past struggles and resistance movements still support the current anti-coup struggles. I am interested in how the current situation in Myanmar, but also the exile and refugee status in general, affects activist activities in Bangkok and Chiang Mai, but also in the border regions around Mae Sot.

The doctoral project deals with various forms of activist engagement by working together with and talking to individual activists, civil society organizations on the grassroots level and (I)NGOs. In addition, the role of the Thai and Myanmar states and the international community will be examined. To make this possible, an anthropological-ethnographic research approach is chosen. Exiled activists are therefore not only advocates for what is happening in Myanmar, they also act as an important link between Myanmar and the international community by sharing their insights on social media or at talks and webinars all over the world.

Learn more about Sarah Riebel.