Myanmar’s colonial legacy includes racial hierarchies and authoritarian government. In the new nation state, not everyone is welcome.

To understand why Rakhine State is in such turmoil we need to follow the threads of ethnic nationalism back to before Myanmar existed.

This article is from the May issue of History Today. Buy a copy of this issue from our website, or read it via the History Today app, available on Google Play and the App Store.

Introduced by History Today editor, Paul Lay. Read by Greig Johnson. Written by Ewan Cameron.

Music: Kai Engel. Illustration: Ben Jones.

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