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Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

Abstract

This article examines recent political and legal developments in Myanmar to promote and protect Buddhism and their implications for women. Myanmar is currently undergoing political regime change. While periods of transition often present an opportunity to contest stereotypical gender roles and discriminatory cultural practices, a rise in Buddhist ethno-nationalism risks undermining women's "spaces" in society. Drawing on qualitative research interviews with members of civil society and other actors in Yangon, this article discusses the accelerated development of laws on the protection of race and religion alongside the parallel development of Myanmar's first law specifically addressing violence against women, to explore how women's legal and social status is susceptible to contestation during Myanmar's current political transition.

Disciplines

Comparative and Foreign Law | Human Rights Law | Law | Law and Gender | Legal Remedies | Military, War, and Peace | Sexuality and the Law

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