British counter -insurgency narratives and the construction of a twentieth century Burmese rebel.

Abstract

The history of the Saya San Rebellion (1930--1932), Burma's largest anti-colonial uprising, has remained factually intact for the last seventy years. Scholars have uniformly accepted the historical narrative as being accurate and have subsequently concentrated on interpreting the rebellion and the role of Saya San within a variety of religious, political, and economic frameworks. This study tests the cohesiveness of the narrative by re-examining the primary sources most closely connected with its construction. Tracing the origin of the narrative back to the trial of Saya San, it is argued that the legal evidence did not establish beyond a reasonable (historical) doubt that Saya San organized and led the rebellion in an effort to restore the Burmese monarchy. An examination of the Special Rebellion Tribunal's jurisdiction reveals that counter-insurgency legislation not only determined the way in which evidence would be admitted into the record, but it directly prescribed how the resulting narrative would be documented and presented in the archive. This project proposes that the criminalization of Burmese ritual, kingship, and geography played a central role in securing the passage of this legislation while providing a Rebel motif to which Saya San was attached. Finally, this study suggests that the uncertainty surrounding Burma's administrative separation from India contributed to British characterizations of the Saya San Rebellion.