Burma or Myanmar: What’s in a name?

One of the first issues one notices when becoming familiar with the situation in Burma is the fact that the country’s official name is cited as Myanmar. So why the two names? In fact, both names have historically been used in the Burmese language, with “Burma” being the more colloquial version and “Myanmar” being more formal. The country was called Burma under British rule and that official name was incorporated in the 1947 independence constitution. The short-lived Burmese democracy apparently saw no reason to abandon a name commonly used by its citizens. Neither did the military junta, until 1989.

That year, shortly after a major political uprising and subsequent brutal crackdown, the generals who run the country changed its official name to “the Union of Myanmar.” This rebranding has been resisted by pro-democracy advocates who see it as an effort the military to control the narrative of the country. The name Burma therefore continues to be used by opponents of the military regime and, in solidarity, by many foreign governments and media outlets.

On Oct. 21, as part of their latest image improvement campaign tied to the recent election, the junta once again changed the name of the country, along with the flag and national anthem. The new official name is “The Republic of the Union of Myanmar.” It appears unlikely, however, that this latest appellation will gain international acceptance; shortly after the election a number of foreign leaders, including President Obama, made a point of referring to the country as Burma when addressing widespread electoral fraud.

—Written by Eben Saling ’12


A version of this article appeared in print in the December 2010 issue of the Bridge.