Crossing Boundaries in Myanmar: Strategies of Boundary‐Making vis‐à‐vis Nativist Citizenship Imaginary

ABSTRACT This article examines popular narratives in Myanmar that use physical characteristics, such as skin colour, to argue that certain minority groups are non‐native and originally from the Indian subcontinent, and how effectively the military junta has enforced this view. Using Andreas Wimmer's (2013) typology of boundary‐making strategies, this research examines the experiences of unofficial Muslim minorities in the townships of Mingala Taungnyunt and Tamwe, Yangon, before the 2021 military coup, as well as early coup accounts, to discuss alleged discriminatory rhetoric by the Burmese State in determining who qualifies as part of the population it governs. The analysis is situated within the Citizenship Law of 1982, which created distinct categories of citizenship, and the supposedly privileged position of the Bamar people within the official list of 135 national races, tracing incentives for both closure and strategic inclusion. A first‐glance examination of discourses from above may suggest that physical traits are used to restrict access to resources and affirm group identities, with extreme categorisation increasing reliance on markers of distinction. Yet a deeper analysis from below reveals that association and discrimination extend beyond racial or ethnic prejudice, with many individuals unaware of their friends' and relatives' ethnic backgrounds. I argue that this apparent contradiction reflects not inconsistent enforcement, but strategic ambiguity: the state's classificatory apparatus is intentionally loose, and this looseness leaves room for individuals to negotiate, contest and reshape the boundaries it imposes. This research demonstrates how individuals engage with, challenge and reshape these processes, even as local governments manipulate citizenship membership.