ALSA 2025 meeting

This paper analyzes Myanmar people’s legal consciousness from the 1988 democratization movement to the end of 2023, focusing on the evolution of their understanding and interpretation of the term “human rights” or “lu akwin aye.” The central discussion utilizes the theoretical framework of rights consciousness research in the sociology of law to clarify the specifics of how the Myanmar people understood the concept of human rights during the military rule from 1988 to 2011 and during the subsequent decade of so-called democratization.
From 1988 to 2011, Myanmar experienced a military dictatorship and was harshly criticized by the international community for human rights abuses against its people. After the transition to civilian rule in 2011, Myanmar’s political transition was hailed as democratization, and attracted international businesses. In the light of such so-called democratization and economic liberalization, the longstanding human rights abuses afflicting the people of Myanmar were discussed less and seemed to recede into the background.
This paper clarifies the legal consciousness of the Myanmar people, who have experienced major political and social changes during the past three decades, from the perspective of the vernacular translation of the human rights concept. Specifically, the following three points are discussed. First, it depicts how Myanmar people have understood and practiced the foreign concept of "human rights" by translating it according to the local context of Myanmar society, culture, and customs. Second, the paper focuses on the "translators" who played the pivotal roles in translating human rights and clarify the shift of translators and their roles according to political and social changes in each period. Third, it is highlighted that social and human rights activists, who once were former political prisoners, have been playing the significant role in forming and developing the people's understanding and practice of human rights.