Postconflict History Curriculum Revision as an “Intergroup Encounter” Promoting Interethnic Reconciliation among Burmese Migrants and Refugees in Thailand

Abstract

Recent literature shows that revising history curricula in postconflict settings can either worsen or ameliorate identity conflict. I conceptualize history curriculum revision workshops as intergroup encounters (IGEs) and analyze the conditions under which reconciliation emerges. I conducted participant observation with multiethnic groups of Burmese migrant and refugee educational stakeholders who were holding curriculum revision workshops in Thailand. I identify six “stepping-stones” to reconciliation: hearing other ethnic groups’ historical narratives, realizing that multiple perspectives on history exist, “stepping into the shoes” of others, complicating master narratives about identity, exposing intraethnic divisions to outsiders, and forming cross-ethnic relationships. This process is neither linear nor predictable, and I identify obstacles to reconciliation that may arise.