Everyday Justice in Myanmar: Informal Resolutions and State Evasion in a Time of Contested Transition

edited by Helene Maria Kyed

This volume explores how ordinary people in present-day Myanmar obtain justice and resolve disputes and crimes in a time of contested transition in government, politics, society, and the economy. Its empirical questions serve as a lens to analyze the wider dynamics of state making, the role of identity politics, and the constitution of authority in a country emerging from decades of military rule and civil war.

"This collaborative collection […] makes an important and timely contribution to discussions about Myanmar’s changing legal and political landscape. Everyday Justice in Myanmar foregrounds the perspectives and experiences of local communities in accessing and practicing justice, effectively highlighting the diversity of politico-legal orders in Myanmar […]" - Jenny Hedstrom, Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia

"This edited book draws its great strength from the combined efforts of Myanmar and Danish scholars who share a deep commitment to better appreciating the local dynamics of peace-building, dispute resolution, law reform, policing and religious dialogue in many different corners of Myanmar […]. The substantial contributions by researchers from the Department of Anthropology at the University of Yangon are notable in this regard. Such international collaborations have helped to highlight the talent, ambition, technique and adaptability of Myanmar’s social scientists as they have published high-quality research outputs, often related to cultures, histories and places defined by their own family and personal stories." - Nicholas Farrelly, Journal of Southeast Asian Studies

Helene Maria Kyed is a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies. She is head of its research unit on Peace and Violence and coordinated the EverJust research project in Myanmar between 2015 and 2020. Kyed is trained as a social anthropologist and has done extensive research on policing, informal justice and state formation in Southern Africa and Myanmar. She has published extensively on these topics in international academic journals and scholarly volumes, recently co-editing a special issue of the Independent Journal of Burmese Scholarship on the theme of justice.

Publication year: 2020
386 pp / 229mm x 152mm
38 (19 in colour) figures, 1 map
ISBN: 978-87-7694-282-3, Paperback
ISBN: 978-87-7694-281-6, Hardback

NIAS Press