Abstract
This paper discusses features of the acceptance of Socialism by Burmese nationalists during the 1930s, by looking especially into the ideological formation of the Dòubàma Asîàyôun (D. A.: We Burmans Society).
The D. A.’s ideological basis for the acceptance of Socialism can be seen in the ideological features of the group's early years, which can be characterized as Burman-centrist. To understand concretely the features of the fusion of this Burman-centrism and Socialism, the term “Kòumîn-Kòuhkyîn” is discussed in depth. The term was used from 1933 by the D. A. to symbolize Burman-centrism; but after 1937, its meaning and usage changed radically. It came to symbolize the fusion of the ideology of Burman-centrism and Socialism. Concretely, “Kòumîn-Kòuhkyîn” began to function as a symbol of the D. A.'s assertion of complete independence, anticapitalism, anti-imperialism, nationalization of private enterprises, equal distribution of wealth, and the formation of a government for peasants and laborers. However, it is clear that there existed little theoretical understanding of Socialism behind this assertion.
