burma-bibliographyBy Andrew Selth, Griffith Asia Institute, Griffith University

A bibliography is never complete. No matter how conscientious the compiler there will always be gaps and scope for additions, particularly to select bibliographies. In this regard, Burma (renamed in the 2008 constitution as the Republic of the Union of Myanmar) is certainly no exception. Indeed, several developments over the past three years argue strongly for the preparation of an updated checklist of the English language literature on Burma.

Since the first edition of this work was released in July 2012, there has been an increased flow of new, revised and reprinted publications about Burma. A survey of publishers’ catalogues and booksellers’ websites suggests that this trend is set to continue for some time. This activity reflects a high level of interest in the country, not only in official and academic circles, but also among the wider public.

As this edition of the bibliography helps to demonstrate, most of the public (and scholarly) interest in Burma over the past few years has been related to the country’s politics and economy, accounting for the large number of new works in those categories. This has included several important edited works, with chapters provided by a range of noted Burma watchers, covering such issues as the continuing political role of the armed forces, unresolved tensions with the ethnic minorities, the obstacles to further economic development and the growth of civil society.

Dr Andrew Selth is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Griffith Asia Institute, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia. He has been studying international security issues and Asian affairs for over 40 years, as a diplomat, strategic intelligence analyst and research scholar. During this time, he has been a Visiting Fellow at the Australian National University’s Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, a Chevening Scholar at St Antony’s College, Oxford University, an Australian Research Council Fellow at Griffith University and a Harold White Fellow at the National Library of Australia. He has published six books and more than 50 peer-reviewed works, most of them about Burma (Myanmar) and related subjects.