Karen Nationalism and Armed Struggle: From the Perspective of Zipporah Sein

In this chapter, we will describe the life of Zipporah Sein within the context of the emergence and evolution of the Karen nationalist movement and armed struggle in Burma.1 Particular emphasis will be placed on how Zipporah Sein perceives her role and articulates her political vision as a prominent civilian leader in an armed resistance organisation, how she believes her gender aff ects her relationships with her colleagues, and the role of women in the KNU struggle. The chapter is based mainly on interviews with Zipporah and her siblings and colleagues. A personal relationship between one of the authors of this article and Zipporah Sein has given us access to these primary sources of information, and allowed us to let Zipporah tell her story in her own way.