Sri Lanka and Myanmar: Gen Z Resisters, Rogue Monks, and the Power of Decentralized Protest

Summary

In this episode, the hosts delve into the recent political upheavals in Sri Lanka and Myanmar, focusing on the unique aspects of the resistance movements in each country. In order to break down the dimensions of these political movements, they welcome scholars David Moe (Yale) and Geethika Dharmasinghe (University of Toronto). The discussion emphasizes the role of decentralized, youth-led protests that cut across ethnic and religious lines. The conversation highlights the significant involvement of religious clergy in supporting these movements, albeit in a more supplementary and less dominant role. It underscores the use of art, music, and other creative tactics as powerful tools for mobilization. The conversation also explores the challenges and successes of these uprisings, including the eventual displacement of an authoritarian president in Sri Lanka and the ongoing fight against a military regime in Myanmar. In the final segment, the hosts draw practical lessons for Americans, including the importance of solidarity, nonviolent resistance, and leveraging technology.

Guests:

Geethika Dharmasinghe earned her Ph.D. from Cornell University in Asian Literature, Religion and Culture with specializations in the relationship of Buddhists to violence in contemporary times, drawing also on substantial training in cultural anthropology. Her dissertation research, "Terror-Making in Buddhist World," was funded by the Wenner Gren Dissertation Fieldwork grant. Her other teaching and research converge around literatures on New Social Movements, Buddhist modernity, nationalism and the political economy of South and Southeast Asia. 

David Thang Moe is a Postdoctoral Associate and Lecturer in Southeast Asian Studies at Yale University, and a Co-chair of Religion in Southeast Asia Unit at the American Academy of Religion. He is the author of Beyond the Academy: Lived Asian Public Theology of Religions, Princeton Theological Monograph Series (Wipf & Stock, 2024), and has published over 70 scholarly articles. His current project, titled Beyond Buddhist Nationalism: Political Theology of Interreligious and Decentralized Resistance after the Coup,is under review with Oxford University Press. 

Additional Resources:

• Walton, Matthew J., and Susan Hayward. Contesting Buddhist Narratives: Democratization, Nationalism, and Communal Violence in Myanmar. East-West Center Policy Studies 71, 2014. 
• Hayward, Susan. “Beyond the Coup in Myanmar: Don’t Ignore the Religious Dimensions.” Just Security, 3 May 2021, .
• Dharmasinghe, Geethika. “Aragalaya Movement: A New Equilibrium within the Sri Lankan Social Formation?” Economic and Political Weekly,Vol LVIII No 32, 12 August 2023, pp.12-16. 
• Dharmasinghe, Geethika. “The Fasting Monk, Islamophobia, and Episodic Violence in Sri Lanka.” Anthropology News, 16 Aug. 2025, 
• Moe, David. “Burmese Public Theology of Religions and Reconciliation After the 2021
• Coup”, International Journal of Public Theology, 17/2, 2023, pp. 262-286.  
• Moe, David. Beyond the Academy: Lived Asian Public Theology of Religions, Princeton Theological Monograph, Wipf & Stocks, 2024.