Boundaries and Tensions in Colonial Burma:
Reading and Discussion Questions for Burmese Days

1. Boundaries are a defining feature of the Upper Burma town of Kyauktada that is the setting of Burmese Days. Please list some of these boundaries.

2. The underlying purpose of these boundaries was to define who was the colonizer and who was the colonized. How did the behavior of Britons and Burmese reproduce these categories?

3. Of course, the labor of Burmese men and women supported the colonial society in variety and critical ways. Their subordinate status stamped them as the colonized. But, did the dependence of Britons on them foster anxiety about the contingent nature of their power in the colony?

4. Among the various institutions, Britons appeared to be most anxious about policing the boundaries of the Club. Why?

5. The categories colonizer and colonized reflected boundaries as well as identities. But, were these identities in fact more flexible in practice than these terms suggest? Please provide examples.

6. While these categories may be flexible, there are fixed limits beyond which Britons and Burmese refused to go. Please provide examples.

7. To what extend do British and Burmese women enforce or transgress the norms of colonial society?

8. How does a newcomer like Elizabeth Lackersteen establish herself in the British community?

9. In what ways do Samuel and Francis define themselves as British/European?

10. Why do Francis and Samuel produce such visceral feelings among some members of the British community?