The Center for Asian Democracy presents: 

Religion and Politics in Burma: The Use of Buddhist Symbolism in the Burmese Democracy Movement

In September 2007, Buddhist monks in the Southeast Asian nation of Burma (Myanmar) led mass pro-democracy demonstrations in Rangoon (Yangon), Mandalay and other major cities and towns of the country. The Burmese military junta, which has been in power since 1962, has confronted and quashed large-scale expressions of political dissent before, but never one specifically spearheaded by the country’s respected Buddhist clergy, the sangha. The violence with which the peaceful demonstrations were suppressed and the harsh retaliations taken against participating Buddhist monks and nuns represents a historical watershed in Burmese church-state relations, as well as a potentially irreparable rupture between the military government and the deeply religious Burmese populace.

Dr. Patrick Pranke

 Professor of Humanities at the University of Louisville

Dr. Pranke holds a Ph.D. in Buddhist Studies from teh University of Michigan.  Currently he serves as an Assistant Professor of Humanities at the University of Louisville.  His specialization is Burmese Buddhism and Burmese popular cults, which he has conducted extensive research on over several years in the Sagaing Hills in Upper Burma.  In addition to his experience in Burma, Dr. Pranke has been a teacher and administrator on the University of Wisconsin's College Year in India Program and Antioch College's Buddhist Studies Program in north India.  Dr. Pranke also maintains a strong academic interest in Hindu folk traditions.

Thursday, November 15, 2007
2:30-4:00pm
Ford Hall 407

Refreshments will be Provided

For information, please contact: Stacey Schoen, Administrative Associate for the Center for Asian Democracy, at 502-852-2667, stacey.schoen@louisville.edu or visit the Center for Asian Democracy webpage: http://www.louisville.edu/asiandemocracy