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UID:pretalx-wha-annual-meeting-korea-2026-NMHNY3@pretalx.com
DTSTART;TZID=KST:20260625T110000
DTEND;TZID=KST:20260625T114500
DESCRIPTION:At the end of World War II\, the European empires found themsel
 ves in terminal decline\, facing both domestic devastation and powerful an
 ti-colonial movements. My research on the British Empire in Southeast Asia
  has found that British officials planned for their retreat by selecting 
 ‘reasonable parties’ that would serve their two key interests: maintai
 ning the extractive capitalist market and ensuring a continued British geo
 -strategic presence. In a comparative study between Burma and Malaya betwe
 en 1945 and 1948\, my recently-published work has found that\, in both cas
 es\, colonial officials preferred anti-immigrant ethnonationalist parties.
  The Myochit Party in Burma and the United Malays National Organization in
  Malaya both promoted the ‘immigrant problem’ as the foremost issue. B
 oth demonstrated that neither had any interest in reforming extractive cap
 italism or even in resisting British influence\, but simply in replacing t
 he British at the top of the political and economic hierarchy in their cou
 ntries. Therefore\, these parties could retain existing structures while h
 arnessing revolutionary energy into persecuting scapegoats. My research’
 s intervention is to use the framework of passive revolution to explain wh
 y ethnonationalism has been the most successful form of anti-communism in 
 the twentieth century\, and to make progress toward explaining its worldwi
 de prevalence today. In presenting this work\, I will also explore ways in
  which this strategy was more global by citing similar British policies in
  India\, in Ceylon\, and in Mandatory Palestine. These last three cases wi
 ll be pointing toward future research\, and hopefully will invite feedback
  from the audience.
DTSTAMP:20260412T112510Z
LOCATION:Room 304 PC Desk (Seats 36)
SUMMARY:Containing Decolonisation: British Imperialism and the Politics of 
 Race in Late Colonial Burma - Matthew Bowser
URL:https://pretalx.com/wha-annual-meeting-korea-2026/talk/NMHNY3/
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