Constituting Public Authority: Discourses, Everyday Practices, Land and Forest Governance in Kamoethway Area

Time
Jun. 30 2026 at 10:00 - 16:00
Place
Online via Zoom
Organiser
Department of Food and Resource Economics
Type
PhD defence
PhD defence by Naw Pe Tha Law

Assessment Committee

Professor Christian Lund, IFRO, University of Copenhagen (Chairperson)
Seniorforsker, PhD Helene Maria Kyed, Dansk Institut for Internationale Studier (DIIS)
Professor Emeritus Philip Hirsch, University of Sydney

Supervisors

Associate Professor Thorsten Treue
Professor Carl Middleton

Department

Department of Food and Resource Economics

Place

Digital defence, please follow the link: https://ucph-ku.zoom.us/j/62185581810?pwd=SgvdoReACY6FWFYbaeoaaTmYYWXlLK.1 
MeetingID, if relevant: 621 8558 1810 
Password, if relevant: 159119

As the defence will be held digitally, we kindly ask guests who do not have an active role in the defence to mute their microphones and keep their cameras turned off throughout the defence. Questions from the audience should be submitted via the chat function.

Email address to gain access to the thesis: ttr@ifro.ku.dk
You will either receive a copy of the thesis or be informed where you can read a physical copy.
Recipients of copies of the thesis are not allowed to share or distribute it due to copyright compliance.

Short description of the thesis

This dissertation examines how the Karen National Union (KNU) seeks to establish public authority in the territories it controls or partially controls. It argues that the KNU's authority is constituted through its regulation of access to land and forests, as well as through its strategies centred on Karen ethnic identity, self-determination and state-building, women's rights, and indigenous rights. By examining governance in a contested area, the dissertation contributes to broader debates on public authority, social movements, and state-building during armed conflict.
Those interested in reading a physical copy of my dissertation may contact ttr@ifro.ku.dk to arrange access at his office.