WAIT, HOPE AND FIGHT : THE KAREN REFUGEES

Abstract

This thesis attempts to situate the Karen refugees within the interpretive framework of the Karen nationalism. The unfolding of the Burmese history since the pre-colonial era saw the Burman-Karen ethnic boundary being drawn, accentuated, redefined, reconstituted and naturalised. Yet, the emergence of a nation is not natural. Despite the nationalist ideology of historical and cultural continuity, nationhood is a radical break from the former way of social organisation, hence making it necessary for the nationalist leaders to educate and socialise the people into self-conscious members of the nation.

Itself the product of the Karen ethno-separatist movement, the Mae Ra Moe refugee camp is a highly politicised environment, virtually rendering nationalism the way of life in the camp. The social life of the camp is underscored by a sense of ambivalence as it straddles the past and the future. In between the two worlds, always living on the margins, the refugees become unsure of what to feel or what to make of their lives. At times, they are hopeful that they would return home one day; at other times, they are even afraid to hope.

In coping with the camp life and disciplining the refugee consciousness, the Karen mobilise cultural and historical resources to form an interpretive framework within which they can make sense of their experience. The camp is also the site of political awakening. Schools and other social organisations aim to empower the refugees and to return confidence to them. The refugee community, then, can be viewed as a community on the move. The thesis, thus, examines how these social dynamics engendered a national consciousness in the refugees.