ABSTRACT

In the common description—often repeated in state-sanctioned statements of national geography—Myanmar is divided into seven States and seven Regions, plus the Union Territory of Naypyitaw. The idea of this configuration is that space in Myanmar is carefully balanced between ethnic minorities and the Bamar majority. Yet this set of spatial categories misses the variety of anomalies that exist at the margins of the carefully crafted story of national cohesion and belonging. Exceptions are common, at all scales. They tend to express hesitation about a universal standard for the management of space. The peculiarities of different types of marginal space offer insights about the character of political, economic and cultural control, and the exceptions that exist to help maintain the outlines of what is supposed to be a simple story of integration. Lived experiences across the breadth of anomalous spaces highlight persistent patterns of ambiguity and contestation. Myanmar’s uneven terrain—one where governments have been prepared to accept significant local variation where such concessions help to maintain overall stability—encompasses rebel-controlled territories, Special Regions, Self-Administered Zones, military bases and Special Economic Zones.