Buddhist Nationalism and its Limitations in Colonial Myanmar: The Crossing of Tradition and Modernity

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to explore the characteristics of the Burmese Buddhist nationalism mainly led by Buddhist monks in colonial order. This study mainly focuses on the behaviors, ideas, and ideologies of whom took part in nationalist movement, permeating the westernized way of thinking. How did they cope with socio-economic change and weakening of the traditional Buddhist functions? Here, we choose three cases concerning on the nationalism in colonial era. First, the YMBA and the GCBA movement, as a religious one with Wunthanu movement, awakened to people unfairness of the British order in the aspects of traditional ascetical life. Second, the Saya San rebellion was a kind of mixed movement on tradition and modernity, which inclined to reestablish of the return of the millenarian kingdom with secular physical confrontation. Third, the main reason of the Oil Strike which had triggered in 1938 was basically economic and racial discrimination compared to Indian workers who had come to Myanmar in colonial period. However, there was a severe religious dissatisfaction behind the uprising that the British authorities despised the Buddhist cultures and practices. The nationalist movement in colonial Myanmar had evolved to their own form which contained the national unity and distinguished identity compared to other people focusing on Buddhism.