Book Review: “Rights Denied,” by Elliott Prasse-Freeman

Accustomed to violence and neglect by the Burmese state, its citizens rarely demanded their rights during the period of ostensibly democratic rule that lasted from 2011 to 2021. Instead, most of them expressed the his non-conformity practicing what Prasse-Freeman calls “negative” – ​​hitting. pots and pans to symbolize driving out evil spirits, posting photos of women with facial injuries to remind people of police torture, hanging women’s fathers in public in violation of modesty rules to mock soldiers, and reusing traditional cursing ceremonies to shout corrupt officials. After the military regained power in a coup in 2021, refusal turned into open resistance, and since the book was published, armed opposition groups have grown strong enough to threaten the control of the military. Rejection, according to Prasse-Freeman, is a culturally coded behavior that takes different forms in different countries. Correctly decoded, it reveals how close a population is to revolt.

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