Feminists, Ethno-nationalists and Peace Activists? The Role of Diasporic Minority Women’s Organizations in Burma’s Peace Process

The ways in which diaspora communities engage with and affect conflicts and peace processes in their former home countries have in recent years been the focus of increasing scholarly attention. However, the growing body of research examining the different ways in which diasporas engage in conflicts and peacebuilding has remained overwhelmingly gender blind; very little is known about women’s political activism in the diaspora, or about the gendered impacts of diaspora engagements in homeland conflicts and peace processes. Addressing this research gap, this paper examines the activism of diasporic minority women’s organizations and its impact on conflict transformation and peacebuilding in Burma. Based on participant observation and interviews with Burmese women’s organizations and activists in Thailand, the paper demonstrates how diasporic minority women’s organizations engage with the ongoing peace process in Burma, and explores how their activism contribute to reshape conceptions of gender, ethnicity and nation.