The River of Lost Footsteps: Histories of BurmaThant tells the story of modern Burma, in part through a telling of his own family's history, in an interwoven narrative that is by turns lyrical, dramatic, and appalling. His maternal grandfather, U Thant, rose from being the schoolmaster of a small town in the Irrawaddy Delta to become the UN secretary-general in the 1960s. And on his father's side, the author is descended from a long line of courtiers who served at Burma's Court of Ava for nearly two centuries. Through their stories and others, he portrays Burma's rise and decline in the modern world, from the time of Portuguese pirates and renegade Mughal princes through the decades of British colonialism, the devastation of World War II, and a sixty-year civil war that continues today and is the longest-running war anywhere in the world.--From publisher description. |
Contents
1 The Fall of the Kingdom | 3 |
2 Debating Burma | 31 |
3 Foundations | 42 |
4 Pirates and Princes Along the Bay of Bengal | 63 |
5 The Consequences of Patriotism | 88 |
6 War | 107 |
7 Mandalay | 131 |
8 Transitions | 163 |
9 Studying in the Age of Extremism | 198 |
10 Making the Battlefield | 220 |
11 Alternative Utopias | 257 |
12 The Tigers Tail | 290 |
13 Palimpsest | 321 |
Notes | 349 |
Acknowledgments | 363 |
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Common terms and phrases
Alaungpaya Arakan Arakanese armed Asia Aung San Aung San Suu Ba Maw Bandula Bayinnaung began Bengal border British Buddhist Burmese Burmese army century chief China Chinese Churchill civil colonial Communist country’s Court of Ava Delta Dorman-Smith early East elephants empire English ethnic fighting forces French hills History of Burma hundred imperial independence India insurgency Irrawaddy Valley Japanese Kachin Karen king’s kingdom Kinwun Kokang later league lived London longyi lord Maha Mandalay Maung military Mindon Myanmar Nanzhao National nationalist Ne Win officers Pagan Pagoda palace Pantanaw Pegu People’s political prince prince of Gui Prome Pyinmana Qing Rangoon rebel River royal rule San Suu Kyi sawbwa sent Shan Shwedagon Pagoda Siam soldiers soon Supayalat Thailand Thakin Thant Thibaw things thousand tion town troops University Upper Burma villages Yanaung young Yunnan