Readers are encouraged to reproduce material for their own publications, as long as they are not ... more Readers are encouraged to reproduce material for their own publications, as long as they are not being sold commercially. ODI requests due acknowledgement and a copy of the publication. For online use, we ask readers to link to the original resource on the ODI website. The views presented in this paper are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of ODI or our partners. This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. How to cite: Hill, C., Thako, H., Shêê, T., et al. (2023) Exploring Karen refugee youths' aspirations and wellbeing amidst protracted displacement in Thailand. HPG working paper. London: ODI (www.odi.org/en/publications/exploring-karen-refugee-youths-aspirations-andwellbeing-amidst-protracted-displacement-in-thailand). This PDF has been prepared in accordance with good practice on accessibility. Graphic: design inspiration from Baby Poe Martha, a 22-year-old living in Mae La camp, Thailand (see Figure 1). Cover by Emma Carter.
This article argues that schooling and education are boundary-making devices in the volatile bord... more This article argues that schooling and education are boundary-making devices in the volatile borderland straddling Burma and Thailand. We show that the development of Karen education was one of the ways in which the Karen National Union (KNU) erected ideological, symbolic and cultural boundaries to keep this borderland separate from the Burmese and Thai states. We draw attention to the conflict in what is considered valued knowledge, the recognition of learning, and who is considered the legitimate authority to manage education at the local and school levels. In fact, examining Karen education at the Thai-Burmese borderland is more than just a description of schooling: it is an examination of the struggle over governance and identity, and ultimately of understandings of sovereignty and nationhood. Moreover, the changing political landscapes in Thailand and Burma have now drawn this borderland and its education into the orbit of the national sphere, provoking a redefinition of notions of governance and nationhood.
Modern Karen education began in the early 1800s when introduced by British and American missionar... more Modern Karen education began in the early 1800s when introduced by British and American missionaries at roughly the time the British colonial powers arrived from India. After independence from Great Britain in 1948, Burma faced revolt from ethnic groups including the Karen, in large part, over issues of language and cultural self-rule. This led to the forcible closing of Karen-language schools by the military junta beginning in the 1960s and the re-establishment of Karen schooling by the Karen National Union (KNU) in independent self-rule territories, often near the Thai border. In this context, beginning in the 1980s, Karen-medium language spread into the highlands of Burma and into Thai refugee camps where Karen had been living for nearly four decades. Karen medium education is an important element establishing what Benedict Anderson called the “imagined community”. With mass Karen literacy, a national consciousness emerged, particularly in areas where schools were sustained. This...
Myanmar/Thailand: Aufgrund bewaffneter Konflikte in Myanmar flüchten seit den 1970er Jahren Tause... more Myanmar/Thailand: Aufgrund bewaffneter Konflikte in Myanmar flüchten seit den 1970er Jahren Tausende Karen nach Thailand. Viele leben seit Jahrzehnten in Geflüchtetenlagern und haben dort ihr eigenes Bildungssystem aufgebaut.
This article addresses the issue of schooling for refugees, as members of a stateless nation, in ... more This article addresses the issue of schooling for refugees, as members of a stateless nation, in the context of Karen refugees in Thailand. The authors used ethnographic methods of in-depth, semi-structured interviews and participant observation with over 250 residents of Mae La refugee camp. Our conceptual framework draws on theories of pedagogy for liberation and grassroots development. We found that, due to overlapping sources of authority with divergent visions of the future for refugee learners, the existential crisis of being members of a stateless nation is the most pressing issue for education to address. We suggest that a top-down approach to refugee education relying on technical solutions, while ignoring issues of history, power, and meaning-making, will ultimately fall short of being fundamentally transformative.
Readers are encouraged to reproduce material for their own publications, as long as they are not ... more Readers are encouraged to reproduce material for their own publications, as long as they are not being sold commercially. ODI requests due acknowledgement and a copy of the publication. For online use, we ask readers to link to the original resource on the ODI website. The views presented in this paper are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of ODI or our partners. This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. How to cite: Hill, C., Thako, H., Shêê, T., et al. (2023) Exploring Karen refugee youths' aspirations and wellbeing amidst protracted displacement in Thailand. HPG working paper. London: ODI (www.odi.org/en/publications/exploring-karen-refugee-youths-aspirations-andwellbeing-amidst-protracted-displacement-in-thailand). This PDF has been prepared in accordance with good practice on accessibility. Graphic: design inspiration from Baby Poe Martha, a 22-year-old living in Mae La camp, Thailand (see Figure 1). Cover by Emma Carter.
This article argues that schooling and education are boundary-making devices in the volatile bord... more This article argues that schooling and education are boundary-making devices in the volatile borderland straddling Burma and Thailand. We show that the development of Karen education was one of the ways in which the Karen National Union (KNU) erected ideological, symbolic and cultural boundaries to keep this borderland separate from the Burmese and Thai states. We draw attention to the conflict in what is considered valued knowledge, the recognition of learning, and who is considered the legitimate authority to manage education at the local and school levels. In fact, examining Karen education at the Thai-Burmese borderland is more than just a description of schooling: it is an examination of the struggle over governance and identity, and ultimately of understandings of sovereignty and nationhood. Moreover, the changing political landscapes in Thailand and Burma have now drawn this borderland and its education into the orbit of the national sphere, provoking a redefinition of notions of governance and nationhood.
Modern Karen education began in the early 1800s when introduced by British and American missionar... more Modern Karen education began in the early 1800s when introduced by British and American missionaries at roughly the time the British colonial powers arrived from India. After independence from Great Britain in 1948, Burma faced revolt from ethnic groups including the Karen, in large part, over issues of language and cultural self-rule. This led to the forcible closing of Karen-language schools by the military junta beginning in the 1960s and the re-establishment of Karen schooling by the Karen National Union (KNU) in independent self-rule territories, often near the Thai border. In this context, beginning in the 1980s, Karen-medium language spread into the highlands of Burma and into Thai refugee camps where Karen had been living for nearly four decades. Karen medium education is an important element establishing what Benedict Anderson called the “imagined community”. With mass Karen literacy, a national consciousness emerged, particularly in areas where schools were sustained. This...
Myanmar/Thailand: Aufgrund bewaffneter Konflikte in Myanmar flüchten seit den 1970er Jahren Tause... more Myanmar/Thailand: Aufgrund bewaffneter Konflikte in Myanmar flüchten seit den 1970er Jahren Tausende Karen nach Thailand. Viele leben seit Jahrzehnten in Geflüchtetenlagern und haben dort ihr eigenes Bildungssystem aufgebaut.
This article addresses the issue of schooling for refugees, as members of a stateless nation, in ... more This article addresses the issue of schooling for refugees, as members of a stateless nation, in the context of Karen refugees in Thailand. The authors used ethnographic methods of in-depth, semi-structured interviews and participant observation with over 250 residents of Mae La refugee camp. Our conceptual framework draws on theories of pedagogy for liberation and grassroots development. We found that, due to overlapping sources of authority with divergent visions of the future for refugee learners, the existential crisis of being members of a stateless nation is the most pressing issue for education to address. We suggest that a top-down approach to refugee education relying on technical solutions, while ignoring issues of history, power, and meaning-making, will ultimately fall short of being fundamentally transformative.
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