Exploring the Changes in the Burmese Landscape in Andrew Marshall's 'The Trouser People'

Abstract

In its exploration of Burma, modern day Myanmar, from Pre-colonial expeditions, to the British Administration in the country, right through to its modern plight with a Military Dictatorship; The Trouser People shows that the use of the land by both the vestiture’s of state and the local people have dramatically changed. Andrew Marshall’s expedition and his close comparison to the man he seeks to re-trace the footsteps of, the explorer Sir J. George Scott, allow us to chart, in some detail, the struggles of the various tribes and ethnicities which occupy Myanmar’s northern region’s and their ever-deepening struggle to defend themselves, their territories and their way of life. Myanmar as an economic and diverse place has been stunted and destroyed by the attitudes towards land as a tool for the state, whatever form that state takes. This has ultimately led to the devastation of the landscape and the continued blasé attitude towards its care and importance. Marshall sets out why he thinks this is the case, what has caused this current attitude and what is currently effecting the mindset that might otherwise cause these attitudes to change.