Since independence, most of the ethnic minority groups in Myanmar—though not all—have rebelled against the central government, making it home to the most simultaneous and longest ongoing armed conflict in the world. In this talk, Jangai Jap tracks the origins of armed ethnic organizations in Myanmar and argue that political exclusion—a primary grievance widely thought to motivate ethnic rebellion—played a rather minimal role in the onset of ethnic rebellions. Instead, what distinguishes ethnic groups in rebellion from other ethnic minority groups is the claim of having an ethnic “homeland” within Myanmar. Individuals from such ethnic groups form nascent armed groups, which are then fostered and supported by more established ethnic armed organizations. Jap illustrates this dynamic through the role of the Karen National Union and the Kachin Independence Organization in the proliferation of robust ethnic armed organizations in Myanmar.

Jangai Jap is an assistant professor in the Department of International Affairs at the University of Georgia’s School of Public and International Affairs. She researches ethnic politics, nationalism, minority-state relations, and Burma/Myanmar politics. Her ongoing work examines interethnic relations, bureaucratic experiences, and ethnic rebellion. Previously, she was an early career provost fellow in the Department of Government at the University of Texas at Austin and a postdoctoral fellow in the Politics of Race and Ethnicity Lab. She holds a Ph.D. in political science from George Washington University and a B.A. in Judaic studies and political science from Yale University.

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