The Pat Jasan drug eradication social movement in Northern Myanmar. Part one: Origins and reactions

Main author: Dan, Seng Lawn
Other authors: Maran, Ja Htoi Pan
Sadan, Mandy
Meehan, Patrick
Goodhand, Jonathan
Format: Journal Article           
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id eprints-35173
recordtype eprints
institution SOAS, University of London
collection SOAS Research Online
language English
language_search English
description This commentary provides an introduction to the origins and emergence of Pat Jasan, a social movement that emerged amongst the Kachin population of northern Myanmar in response to a perceived crisis of illicit drug production and consumption. Although frequently presented as a case of drug vigilantism, we seek move beyond this stereotype by providing a granular account of the historical, political, and cultural conditions that lay the ground for the movement's emergence. Pat Jasan arose in the context of intersecting crises linked to protracted armed violence, extractive development and the ‘slow violence’ associated with widespread drug use. It was a response to a perceived vacuum of policing and the limitations of internationally supported harmed reduction measures to recognize or address the magnitude of the problem. Taking seriously the socially embedded foundations of the Pat Jasan movement provides an entry point for exploring how notions of harm reduction are constructed and understood locally and how movements like Pat Jasan emerge in response to societal concerns surrounding drugs.
format Journal Article
author Dan, Seng Lawn
author_facet Dan, Seng Lawn
Maran, Ja Htoi Pan
Sadan, Mandy
Meehan, Patrick
Goodhand, Jonathan
authorStr Dan, Seng Lawn
author_letter Dan, Seng Lawn
author2 Maran, Ja Htoi Pan
Sadan, Mandy
Meehan, Patrick
Goodhand, Jonathan
author2Str Maran, Ja Htoi Pan
Sadan, Mandy
Meehan, Patrick
Goodhand, Jonathan
title The Pat Jasan drug eradication social movement in Northern Myanmar. Part one: Origins and reactions
publisher Elsevier
publishDate 2021
url https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/35173/