| dc.description.abstract | In November 2020, the National League for Democracy, headed by Aung San Suu Kyi, won a
landslide victory in the national elections in Myanmar. On February 1, 2021, before the first
session of the parliament could convene, the military, known as the Tatmadaw, staged a coup
and ousted the democratically elected government. In the aftermath of the coup, there have
been widespread protests in Myanmar against the Tatmadaw’s rule. Burmese citizens have
been advocating for a return to the democratic system, demanding the military to step down.
The pro-democracy movement in the country has united different ethnic and religious groups
against the military junta. It has also culminated into a Civil Disobedience Movement, as the
people are trying to defeat the military. In light of this, as the movement continues against the
Tatmadaw’s oppressive regime, my research looks into the conception of democracy among
Burmese pro-democracy activists. This thesis attempts to understand how the activists in
Myanmar perceive democracy, and what they believe are its central tenets, especially in the
backdrop of the coup. To answer my question, I conducted semi-structured interviews with the
democracy activists. I used thematic analysis on my data, and employed concepts from the
Democratic Theory, to present my findings. This thesis derives themes regarding the perception
of the democratic system in Myanmar, prior to the coup, and the conception of democracy
among the activists. | en_US |
