The Female Voice of Myanmar Khin Myo Chit to Aung San Suu Kyi

The Female Voice of Myanmar seeks to offer a female perspective on the history and political evolution of Myanmar. It delves into the lives and works of four of Myanmar's remarkable women who set aside their lives to answer the call of their country: Khin Myo Chit, who spoke about latent sexual politics in pre-Independent Burma; Ludu Daw Amar, who as the editor of the leftist Ludu Daily, was deemed anti-establishment and was witness to the socialist government's abortive efforts at ethnic reconciliation; Ma Thida, whose writing bears testimony to the impact the authoritative military rule had on the individual psyche; and Aung San Suu Kyi, who has re-articulated Burmese nationalism. This book breaks new ground in exploring their writing, both published and hitherto unexamined, some in English and much in Burmese, while the intimate biographical sketches offer a glimpse into the Burmese home and the shifting feminine image.

List of figures; Glossary; Preface; Acknowledgements; Introduction; 1. Khin Myo Chit: the voice of a closet feminist; 2. Ludu Daw Amar: the voice of unity; 3. Ma Thida: the voice of hidden truths and changing times; 4. Aung San Suu Kyi: the voice of a pragmatic; Annexure I. Chronology of Khin Myo Chit's publications; Annexure II. Chronology of Ludu Daw Amar's publications; Annexure III. Chronology of Ma Thida's publications; Bibliography.

Nilanjana Sengupta is Visiting Scholar at the Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore. She is the author of A Gentleman's Word: The Legacy of Subhas Chandra Bose in Southeast Asia. Her research interests are feminist awakening in Southeast Asia, cultural exchanges between Asian nations and the Indian subcontinent and questions of integration, identity and hybridity of borrowed cultures.