Name: Becoming Ungovernable
Start: 2026-03-04T12:00:00-05:00
End: 2026-03-04T13:30:00-05:00
Location: Weatherhead East Asian Institute (located at the School of International and Public Affairs)

Why has a centralized state shaped by Buddhist nationalism become an enemy of hill ethnic minorities?
About this Event

For non-Columbia affiliates, registration is required to access the Morningside campus. After registering you will receive an email with a QR code that must be presented along with a government-issued ID (your name must match exactly the name registered for the event) at either the 116th Street & Broadway or 116th Street & Amsterdam gates for entry. Please register using a unique email address (one email address per registrant) by 4:00pm on Mar. 3 for campus access.

Names will be submitted for QR codes 1-2 days prior to the event. Registrants will receive an email from CU Guest Access with the QR code before or on the day of the event. NOTE: You cannot access campus using the QR code from Eventbrite.

Full Talk Title: Becoming Ungovernable: Hill Peoples, Decentralized Resistance, and Buddhist Nationalism in Myanmar

Speaker: David Thang Moe, Visiting Scholar, Columbia University

Moderatro: Andrew J. Nathan, Class of 1919 Professor of Political Science, Department of Political Science, Columbia University

Why has a centralized state shaped by Buddhist nationalism become an enemy of hill ethnic minorities? How do decentralized resistance movements challenge state power? How might ungovernable communities beyond the state, across Christian hill villages and Buddhist valleys, envision a new nation?

Drawing on firsthand experience, current research, and his forthcoming monograph Beyond Buddhist Nationalism (Oxford University Press), the speaker argues that the regime tries to rule without truly governing. He examines questions of ungovernability, centralized nationalism, decentralized resistance, ethnic reconciliation, and visions of democratic nationhood.

Speaker's Bio: David Thang Moe, Ph.D., is a Visting Scholar at Columbia and a Research Scholar in Southeast Asian Studies at Yale, with additional affiliations at Harvard, MIT, Boston University, and University of Connecticut. A leading Burmese scholar, he specializes in Buddhist nationalism, ethnic conflict, and decentralized resistance. He is the author of Beyond the Academy (2024) and the forthcoming Beyond Buddhist Nationalism (Oxford University Press). He has delivered talks globally, met U.S. Senators to advocate for Myanmar’s democracy, and been featured in outlets including Voice of America, The Straits Times, and the Yale Journal of Politics.

This event is hosted by the Weatherhead East Asian Institute and co-sponsored by the Arnold A. Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies and and the Institute for the Study of Human Rights.