Climate resilience and resistance in Myanmar: transcripts from voiceless women

ABSTRACT

This research manifests the voices of women in Myanmar tackling climate hazards. Facing an unpredictable climatic future, the disadvantaged populations, such as women from the informal settlements, are considered to be exposed to higher risks, whereas their resilience-building efforts are usually overlooked in academia and policymaking. This work highlights the gendered climate resilience in Dala Township, a peri-urban community of Yangon, through participant observations and semi-structured interviews. This research reveals the gendered vulnerability, virtue, and everyday resistance towards resilience, emphasizing the local lens of affected disadvantaged women who are often not heard. Notably, it demonstrates alternative realities, knowledge-making, and practices of climate resilience, giving voices to the voiceless. Situated in Myanmar, findings call for a more gender-sensitive approach to build a just and resilient climatic future for all, with tremendous potential for broader application in the disadvantaged communities worldwide tackling intersectional injustice.

KEYWORDS:

• Gender
• resilience
• resistance
• Myanmar
• climate justice
• voiceless women

Acknowledgment

First and foremost, this research would not have been feasible without the generous support and grounded wisdom of every participant involved. Special thanks go to Nandar, Wendy, Richard Horsey, and Sophia Wang for their fantastic help during the fieldwork and insights into Myanmar. This work was supported by the Urban Climate Resilience in Southeast Asia Partnership, and I am more than grateful for the guidance from Prof. Amrita Daniere. I would like to acknowledge the exceptional work of Song Han for assisting data management. Additionally, I would love to thank reviewers and Editor Dr. Blane Harvey, who have remarkably supported the article’s development. Strongly believe in the hope from the oppressed even in times of darkness. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Gender equity is not about political correctness but respecting all people and their capacity to build a better place.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 The interpreter, an indigenous woman, was an activist and co-founder of a rights-based NGO who also translated several feminist essays and books into Burmese.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Urban Climate Resilience in Southeast Asia Partnership, under the International Partnership for Sustainable Societies (IPaSS, IDRC Grant Number: 107776).

Notes on contributors

Yanjun Cai

Yanjun Cai is an associate research fellow in the School of International Relations at the Sun Yat-sen University. Her research centers on environmental justice, community resilience, sustainable development, and digital governance, paying additional attention to disadvantaged populations.