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 violence with which the peaceful demonstrations were suppressed and the harsh retaliations taken against the Buddhist monk-hood represents a historical watershed in Burmese church-state relations, as well as a rupture between the military government and the deeply religious Burmese populace that may be irreparable. In this talk, I will give an account of the political and economic conditions leading up to recent unrest in Burma, the relio-political symbolism of the monks’ protest, and the role played by the Buddhist monastic community historically in the political life of the country.

Dr. Patrick Pranke

Assistant Professor of Humanities at the University of Louisville

Patrick Pranke holds a Ph.D. in Buddhist Studies from the University of Michigan, currently he is an Assistant Professor of Humanities at the University of Louisville. His area of specialization is Burmese Buddhism and Burmese popular cults, research for which he conducted over the course of several years in the Sagaing Hills, 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, and he maintains strong academic interests in Hindu folk traditions.

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, email stacey at: stacey.schoen@louisville.edu or visit the Center for Asian Democracy webpage: http://www.louisville.edu/asiandemocracy/