The Ritual State: The Cultural Infrastructure of Political Authority in Myanmar

In The Ritual State, Amara Thiha argues that political legitimacy is not only rooted in institutions, but also produced through ritual practices, cosmological beliefs, and the symbolic organisation of space. His thesis contributes an original perspective to the study of political authority and authoritarian governance. Drawing on qualitative data collection, interpretive research and fieldwork in Myanmar, the study shows how successive military regimes have used practices such as merit-making and pagoda construction to claim authority. The thesis also highlights how these same practices have been adapted by opposition movements, in the period of political reform and following the 2021 coup, contributing to new forms of decentralised resistance. The study offers a broadly applicable framework for understanding how political authority is enacted and contested through cultural and ritual practices.