Ashley South has 20 years’ experience as an independent author, researcher and consultant. He has a PhD from the Australian National University, and an MSc from SOAS (University of London), and is a Research Fellow at Chiang Mai University.
Main research interests: ethnic conflict and peace processes in Burma/Myanmar and Mindanao; forced migration (refugees and internally displaced people); politics of language and education; climate change, resilience and adaptation.
Most of my work in Myanmar is done through Covenant Consult and Covenant Institute:
My latest
Re-imagining Myanmar - The Mother of All “Critical Junctures” ('The Irrawaddy' 24-2-21):
https://www.irrawaddy.com/opinion/guest-column/re-imagining-myanmar-mother-critical-junctures.html
These are extraordinary times in Myanmar, which will shape the country for many years to come. Although the military’s intervention has been a disaster, it could lead to a re-imagining of relations between the Bamar majority and ethnic nationality communities. Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs) will have key roles to play.
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Empty Ways: Christian Prayer and Daoist Meditation ('Journal of Daoist Studies', Vol.14 2021):
PDF (slightly revised version of the published article)
Daoist meditation can offer profound contributions to prayer, notably when understood in terms of two ideal types of Christian prayer: apophatic and cataphatic. Apophatic (or 'negative') theology attempts to speak only in terms that do not limit the perfection that is God. Cataphatic theology approaches the divine by imagery and affirmations or positive statements about what God is. Certain forms of Daoist meditation share similarities with both, practicing non-attachment to contingent phenomena as they assist adepts in moving beyond the limitations of ego toward direct experience.
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The Dogmeat Diaries - blog for the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies:
https://www.niaspress.dk/category/dogmeat-diaries/
Books
- 2018 - Citizenship in Myanmar: ways of being in and from Burma, edited by Ashley South and Marie Lall (ISEAS Singapore and Chiang Mai University Press: https://bookshop.iseas.edu.sg/publication/2291)
- 2008 [second edition 2010] – Ethnic Politics in Burma: States of Conflict (Routledge)
- 2003 [second edition 2005] – Mon Nationalism and Civil War in Burma: The Golden Sheldrake (RoutledgeCurzon)
Christian and Daoist studies
- Empty Ways: Christian Prayer and Daoist Meditation ('Journal of Daoist Studies', Vol.14 2021) - PDF (slightly revised version of the published article)
- Daoism and Peacebuilding: Toward an Agenda for Research and Practice ('Journal of Daoist Studies', Vol.11 2018) - http://www.lulu.com/shop/jds-editors/journal-of-daoist-studies-vol-11/paperback/product-23500610.html
Chapters in edited volumes
- 2015 - Governance and Political Legitimacy in the Peace Process (in 'Myanmar: the dynamics of an evolving polity', Lynn Reiner, ed. David Steinberg)
- 2014 - 3 Chapters in 'Burma/Myanmar: where now?', NIAS Press Copenhagen, eds Mikael Gravers & Flemming Ytzen - PDF [with Charles Petrie] - PDF & PDF
- 2010 – Karen Legitimacy and Conflict (in ‘Ruling Myanmar’, Australian National University/ISEAS Singapore, eds Trevor Wilson, Monique Skidmore & Nicholas Cheesman)
- 2007 – Conflict and Displacement in Burma/Myanmar (in ‘Myanmar: The State, Society and the Environment’, Australian National University/ISEAS Singapore, eds Trevor Wilson & Monique Skidmore)
- 2007 – Ceasefires and Civil Society: The Case of the Mon (in the ‘Exploring Ethnic Diversity in Burma’, NIAS Press, ed. Mikael Gravers) – PDF
Peer-reviewed academic articles
- 2021 - Empty Ways: Christian Prayer and Daoist Meditation ('Journal of Daoist Studies', Vol.14 2021) - PDF (slightly revised version of the published article)
- 2018 - Power Dynamics of Language and Education Policy in Myanmar’s Contested Transition [Marie Lall and Ashley South] ('Comparative Education Review', vol. 62, no. 4)
- 2018 - Daoism and Peacebuilding: Toward an Agenda for Research and Practice ('Journal of Daoist Studies', Vol.11) -
- 2017 - “Hybrid Governance” and the Politics of Legitimacy in the Myanmar Peace Process ('Journal of Contemporary Asia') - http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/n8dKEPuynMeC3I6r6vAe/full
- 2016 - From Rebels to Rulers: The Challenges of Transition for Nonstate Armed Groups in Mindanao and Myanmar [with Christopher M. Joll] ('Critical Asian Studies', Vol.48, No.2) - PDF
- 2016 - Language, Education and the Peace Process in Myanmar [with Marie Lall] ('Contemporary Southeast Asia' Vol.38, No.1) - PDF
- 2015 – Forced Migration: typology and agency in Southeast Myanmar [with Kim Jolliffe] (‘Contemporary Southeast Asia’ Vol.37, No.2) – PDF
- 2013 – Comparing Models of Non-state Ethnic Education in Myanmar: the Mon and Karen national education regimes [with Marie Lall] (‘Journal of Contemporary Asia’)
- 2012 – The Politics of Protection in Burma: beyond the humanitarian mainstream ('Critical Asian Studies', Vol.44, No.2): www.criticalasianstudies.org
- 2008 – Civil Society in Burma: The Development of Democracy Amidst Conflict (East-West Centre, Washington – ‘Policy Studies’ No.51)
- 2007 – Karen Nationalist Communities: The ‘Problem’ of Diversity (‘Contemporary Southeast Asia’ Vol.29, No.1 - ISEAS/National University of Singapore) – PDF
- 2007 – Burma: The Changing Nature of Displacement Crises (Refugee Studies Centre, Oxford University, Working Paper No.39) – PDF
- 2004 – Political Transition in Myanmar: A New Model for Democratization (‘Contemporary Southeast Asia’ Vol.26, No.4 – ISEAS/National University of Singapore) – PDF
Reports
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January 2021 - Language and Education in Chin State (Myanmar Education Partnerships Project), by Ashley South, Nicola Edwards, Tyler Davis, Cin Khan Lian, Rachel Niang Dim, Mai Naomi Thang, Emily Stenning, Tim Schroeder - PDF [English] - PDF [Burmese language]
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November 2020 - COVID-19: Coordination, Collaboration & Interim Arrangements (Covenant Consult):
https://covenant-consult.com/2020/11/covid-19-coordination-collaboration-interim-arrangements/
available in English and Burmese languages
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October 2020 - Listening for Coronavirus in eastern Bago and Mon - Saw Ner Tar, Mi Kun Chan Non, Mi Morchai, Mi Sar Yar Poine, Naw Thazin and Ashley South (Covenant Consult & Centre for Good Governance)
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August 2020 - Towards a Tipping Point? Climate Change, Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience in Southeast Myanmar - Ashley South and Liliana Demartini (ActionAid Myanmar):
https://myanmar.actionaid.org/publications/2020/towards-tipping-point
Full report in English, with summary/briefing paper in English, Burmese, Sgaw Karen and Pwo Karen
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July 2020 - Reflections on the 1995 New Mon State Party Ceasefire - Nai Hongsa, Martin Smith, Ashley South, Nai Kasauh Mon, Nai Banya Hongsar (Covenant Consult):
https://covenant-consult.com/2020/07/reflections-on-the-1995-new-mon-state-party-ceasefire/ -
December 2018 - Protecting civilians in the Kachin borderlands, Myanmar: Key threats and local responses (Overseas Development Institute/Humanitarian Practice Group Working Paper) - PDF
Executive Summary: Jingphaw & Burmese language translations - PDF -
November 2018 - Myanmar Interim Arrangements Research Project, Between Ceasefires and Federalism: Exploring Interim Arrangements in the Myanmar peace process (Covenant Consult: Ashley South, Tim Schroeder, Kim Jolliffe, Mi Kun Chan Non, Saw Sa Shine, Susanne Kempel, Axel Schroeder and Naw Wah Shee Mu) - PDF
Executive Summary available in Burmese, Shan, Sgaw Karen and Mon languages:
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February 2016 - Schooling and Conflict: ethnic education and mother tongue-based teaching in Myanmar [with Marie Lall] - The Asia Foundation -
- Schooling and Conflict: Ethnic Education and Mother Tongue-based Teaching in Myanmar
- Burmese translation: Schooling and Conflict: Ethnic Education and Mother Tongue-based Teaching in Myanmar (Burmese)
- Executive Summary, Kachin translation (Jingphaw)
- Executive Summary, Mon translation
- Executive Summary, Karen translation (Sgaw)
A shorter version of this report is available as an Asia Foundation Policy Dialogue Brief (English and Burmese versions):
http://asiafoundation.org/publication/policy-dialogue-brief-series-no-15-schooling-conflict/
http://asiafoundation.org/publication/policy-dialogue-brief-series-no-15-schooling-conflict-burmese/
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March 2015 - Forced Migration and the Myanmar Peace Process [with Kim Jolliffe] - UNHCR Policy Development and Evaluation Service (New Issues in Refugee Research, Paper No. 274) - PDF
- April 2014 - Lessons Learned from MPSI's Work Supporting the Peace Process in Myanmar, March 2012 to March 2014 - Myanmar Peace Support Initiative - PDF & Burmese translation
- March 2013 – Mapping of Myanmar Peacebuilding Civil Society [with Charles Petrie] - paper prepared for the European Peacebuilding Liaison Office, as background for the meeting entitled ‘Supporting Myanmar’s Evolving Peace Processes: What Roles for Civil Society and the EU? (Brussels on 7-3-2013) - PDF
- March 2012 – Myanmar/Burma: Local agencies and Global donors (Local to Global Protection initiative: www.local2global.info) - PDF
- December 2012 – Prospects for Peace in Myanmar: opportunities and threats (Peace Research Institute Oslo Working Paper) - PDF; Burmese language version - PDF
- February 2012 – Local to Global Protection in Myanmar (Burma), Sudan, South Sudan and Zimbabwe [co-authored] (Overseas Development Institute Network Paper No.72) - PDF
- October 2011 – Myanmar – Surviving the Storm: self-protection and survival in the Delta [co-authored] (Local to Global Protection initiative: www.local2global.info) – PDF
- March 2011 – Burma’s Longest War: anatomy of the Karen conflict (Transnational Institute/Burma Centre Netherlands) – PDF
- September 2010 – Conflict and Survival: self-protection in south-east Burma [co-authored] (Chatham House/ Royal Institute of International Affairs, Asia Programme Paper ASP PP 2010/04; Local to Global Protection initiative) – PDF
- December 2007 – Displacement and Dispossession: Forced Migration and Land Rights in Burma (Center on Housing Rights and Evictions) – PDF
- September 2002 – Internally Displaced People and Relocation Sites in Eastern Burma (Burmese Border Consortium, Bangkok)
Shorter articles
- February 2021 - Re-imagining Myanmar - The Mother of All “Critical Junctures” ('The Irrawaddy' 24-2-21):
https://www.irrawaddy.com/opinion/guest-column/re-imagining-myanmar-mother-critical-junctures.html
- January 2021 - Peace is broken in the Karen hills. How will donors respond?, by Charles Petrie and Ashley ('Frontier Myanmar' 18-1-2021):
https://www.frontiermyanmar.net/en/peace-is-broken-in-the-karen-hills-how-will-donors-respond/
- November 2020 - The Hongsa flies: Why the Mon Unity Party won where other ethnic parties failed -
by Mi Kun Chan Non, Mi Sar Yar Poine & Ashley South ('Frontier Myanmar' 13-11-2020)
- April 2020 - The dream of a Kayan homeland ('Frontier Myanmar' 19-4-2020)
https://frontiermyanmar.net/en/the-dream-of-a-kayan-homeland
Burmese language version: https://frontiermyanmar.net/mm/news/17253
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March 2020 - End of Aid; Beginning of Resilience? ('The Irrawaddy' 26-3-2020)
https://www.irrawaddy.com/opinion/guest-column/end-aid-beginning-resilience.html
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March 2020 - Language and the classroom in Chin State ('Frontier Myanmar' 7-3-2020), by Nicola Edwards and Ashley South
https://frontiermyanmar.net/en/language-and-the-schoolroom-in-chin-state
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January 2020 - In Chin State, cultural memory fades ('Frontier Myanmar' 1-2-2020), by Nicola Edwards and Ashley South
https://frontiermyanmar.net/en/in-chin-state-cultural-memory-fade
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January 2020 - Ethnic Voters Face Disenfranchisement in Myanmar's 2020 Election ('The Irrawaddy' 29-1-2020)
Burmese translation here - January 2020 - Faith and folklore in the Chin hills ('Frontier Myanmar' 7-1-2020), by Nicola Edwards, Cin Khan Lian and Ashley South
https://www.frontiermyanmar.net/en/faith-and-folklore-in-the-chin-hills
- July 2019 - Climate change and deep adaptation in Myanmar ('Frontier Myanmar' 12-7-2019)
https://frontiermyanmar.net/en/climate-change-and-deep-adaptation-in-myanmar
Burmese translation: https://frontiermyanmar.net/mm/news/15195 -
June 2019 - A hill station, a princess and a peace dividend ('Frontier Myanmar' 2-6-2019)
https://frontiermyanmar.net/en/a-hill-station-a-princess-and-a-peace-dividend
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April 2019 - Myanmar's stalled peace process ('The Asia Dialogue' 3-4-2019):
http://theasiadialogue.com/2019/04/03/myanmars-stalled-peace-process/
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March 2019 - China, India and Myitsone: the power game to come (with Yaw Bawm, 'Frontier Myanmar' 1-3-2019):
https://frontiermyanmar.net/en/china-india-and-myitsone-the-power-game-to-come
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February 2019 - Interim Arrangements in Conflict Zones Key to Peace in Myanmar ('The Irrawaddy' 4-2-2019):
Burmese language translation - PDF
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January 2019 - The Politics of Legitimacy in the Myanmar Peace Process:
London School of Economics blog-post, adapted from my article published in Journal of Contemporary Asia, November 2017: ‘“Hybrid Governance” and the politics of legitimacy in the Myanmar Peace Process’.
- November 2018 - Populist threats to the peace process ('Frontier' 23-11-18): https://frontiermyanmar.net/en/populist-threats-to-the-peace-process?fbclid=IwAR1kMYSmfaVNY6jlQJr4EjZLynPKlXIfFJbl_efdOZKd62Dp3IYCutPXJ9I
Burmese translation: https://frontiermyanmar.net/mm/news/12518#.XAM8ctLqb84.facebook
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September 2018 - Ways ahead in the peace process? ('The Irrawaddy' 3-9-2018):
https://www.irrawaddy.com/opinion/guest-column/ways-ahead-peace-process.html -
August 2017 - The Mindanao Peace Process and Roles of Civil Society ('Sustainable Security' 23-8-2017):
https://sustainablesecurity.org/2017/08/22/the-mindanao-peace-process-and-roles-of-civil-society/
- May 2017 - Divergent strategies behind Myanmar's peace process ('Nikkei Asian Review' 22-5-2017):
http://asia.nikkei.com/Viewpoints/Ashley-South/Divergent-strategies-behind-Myanmar-s-peace-process
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May 2017 - Karen communities along the Sittaung River (‘Tea Circles' 5-5-2017; reprinted in 'The Irrawaddy' 10-5-2017):
https://teacircleoxford.com/2017/05/05/karen-communities-along-the-sittaung-river/
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February 2017 - Peace and Trust in the Karen Hills (‘The Irrawaddy’ 14-2-2017):
https://www.irrawaddy.com/opinion/guest-column/peace-and-trust-in-the-karen-hills.html
& in Burmese
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January 2017 - Christmas and Karen New Year on the Tanintharyi River (‘The Irrawaddy’ 11-1-2017):
& in Burmese
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August 2016 - Peace in Myanmar demands more than political dialogue ('Nikkei Asian Review' 22-8-2016):
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April 2016 - The Tyranny of Elections and Dynamics of Peace ('Nikkei Asian Review' 8-4-2016):
- March 2016 - Hope and Uncertainty in Myanmar ('Nikkei Asian Review' 19-3-2016):
http://asia.nikkei.com/Viewpoints/Viewpoints/Ashley-South-Hope-and-uncertainty-in-Myanmar
- November 2015 - Ethnic aspect of the elections, 'Democratic Voice of Burma' (16-10-15) – PDF
- October 2015 – The Peace Process and Ethnic Education in Myanmar [with Marie Lall], 'Democratic Voice of Burma' 18-10-15 – PDF
- April 2015 - Participation, mobilisation: the Karen peace dividend, 'The Myanmar Times' - PDF & Burmese translation
- October 2014 - Norwegian support for hydropower: peacebuilding through best practice, 'Democratic Voice of Burma' - PDF
- June 2014 - Armed Groups and Political Legitimacy, 'The Myanmar Times' - PDF & Burmese translation
- January 2014 – Inside the Peace Process, 'The Myanmar Times' - PDF
- September 2012 – From Ceasefires to Lasting Peace?, 'The Myanmar Times' - PDF
- September 2012 – China as a New Aid Actor, 'The Global Times' 11-9-2012 - PDF [this is the original article, the published version being somewhat shorter]
- March 2012 – Resolving Ethnic Conflicts in Burma - Ceasefires to Sustainable Peace,‘The Irrawaddy’ - PDF
- June 2011 – Burma’s New Challenge , ‘Pacific Forum CSIS’ (PacNet#32) – PDF
- December 2010 – Post-Election Politics in Burma - Glimmers of Hope? , ‘The Irrawaddy’ – PDF
- November 2010 – Voting, But Not As We Know It, ‘The World Today’ (Chatham House) – PDF
- July 2010 – Making the Best of a Bad Election, ‘The Irrawaddy’ – PDF
- May 2010 – Burma's Electoral Dilemmas, 'The World Today' (Chatham House) - PDF
- March 2010 – Self-protection and Survival in Southeast Burma, ‘Humanitarian Exchange’ – PDF
- November 2008 – Economics Crisis and Human Rights, ‘The World Today’ (Chatham House) – PDF
- August 2008 – Electoral Dilemmas, Independent Mon News Agency commentary (4-8-2008) – PDF
- July 2008 – Burma after the Cyclone: Making a Disaster Out Of the Cyclone, ‘The World Today’ (Chatham House) – PDF
- April 2008 – Humanitarian Aid to IDPs in Burma: activities and debates, ‘Forced Migration Review’ (Refugee Studies Centre, Oxford University) – PDF
- March 2008 – Prospects for Burma’s New Constitution, Independent Mon News Agency commentary (17-3-2008) – PDF
- February 2008 – Mahn Sha La Phan: Resistance leader of Burma’s Karen people, ‘The Guardian’ obituary (18-2-2008) – PDF
- December 2007 – Crisis on the Burma Border, ‘The Nation’ (20-12-2007) – PDF
- October 2007 – Mon Nationalist Movements: insurgency, ceasefires and political struggle – paper presented at ‘Seminar on Discovery of Ramanndesa’, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, (11-10-2007), published by Mon Unity League (Bangkok, January 2008) – PDF
- August 2007 – What lies ahead for Burma’s cease-fires, ‘The Nation’ (8-1-2007) – PDF
- October 2006 – The Quest for Karen Unity, ‘The Irrawaddy’ – PDF
- October 2006 – Border-based Insurgency: Time for a Reality Check, ‘The Irrawaddy’ online – PDF
- September 2004 – Beyond the National Convention, ‘The Irrawaddy’ – PDF
- November 2001 – Burma’s Ex-Insurgents: The Mon Ceasefire and Political Transition, ‘Burma Debate’ (Vol. VIII, Fall 2001) – PDF