The Citizen Archive and Strategic Silencing: A Study on Rohingya Genocide

Year 2025, Volume: 17 Issue: 2, 259 - 272, 10.05.2025

Abdulla Al Mahmud

https://doi.org/10.9737/historystudies.1507634

Abstract

This paper critically examines the role of citizen archives in the systemic disenfranchisement and eventual genocide of the Rohingya people in Myanmar. By analyzing the historical and contemporary practices of documenting national identity, it reveals how the Myanmar government's manipulation of citizen archives rendered the Rohingya stateless and silenced, culminating in the brutal ethnic cleansing recognized by the international community. The study juxtaposes this with similar archival strategies in the USA, UK, Palestine, and India, highlighting a disturbing trend where state-controlled identity documents are weaponized to discriminate against and control marginalized groups. The findings underscore an urgent need to monitor and reform the management of citizen archives to protect minority rights and prevent such atrocities, offering a poignant reminder of the dangers of allowing governmental control over personal identities to go unchecked.

Keywords

Rohingya Genocide, Ethnic Cleansing, Citizen Archives, State-Controlled identity, Minority Rights

Vatandaş Arşivi ve Stratejik Susturma: Rohingya Soykırımı Üzerine Bir Çalışma

Abstract

Bu makale, Myanmar'da Rohingyaların sistematik olarak mahrum bırakılması ve sonrasında soykırımla sonuçlanan süreçte vatandaş arşivlerinin rolünü eleştirel bir şekilde incelemektedir. Ulusal kimliği belgeleme pratiklerinin tarihsel ve çağdaş uygulamalarını analiz ederek, Myanmar hükümetinin vatandaş arşivlerini manipüle etmesinin Rohingyaları devletsiz ve sessiz bıraktığını, uluslararası toplum tarafından tanınan acımasız etnik temizliğe yol açtığını ortaya koymaktadır. Çalışma, benzer arşiv stratejilerini ABD, İngiltere, Filistin ve Hindistan ile karşılaştırarak, devlet kontrolündeki kimlik belgelerinin marjinal gruplara karşı ayrımcılık yapmak ve kontrol etmek için silah olarak kullanıldığı rahatsız edici bir trendi vurgulamaktadır. Bulgular, azınlık haklarını korumak ve bu tür katliamları önlemek için vatandaş arşivlerinin yönetiminin izlenmesi ve reforme edilmesi gerektiğine acil bir ihtiyaç olduğunu vurgulamakta ve hükümetlerin kişisel kimlikler üzerindeki kontrolünün denetlenmemesinin tehlikelerini hatırlatan dokunaklı bir uyarı sunmaktadır.

Keywords

Rohingya Soykırımı, Etnik Temizlik, Vatandaş Arşivleri, Devlet Kontrolündeki Kimlik, Azınlık Hakları

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