An online publication of the AbuSulayman Center for Global Islamic Studies at George Mason University

Matthew J. Bowser

Dr. Matthew Bowser is Assistant Professor of Asian History at Alabama A&M University. His research focuses on decolonization in Southeast Asia, examining the intersections of race, nationalism, capitalism, and imperialism in the process of achieving independence from colonial rule. He received his PhD in Modern World History from Northeastern University in May 2020. This summer he is in the process of completing his first book, Containing Decolonization: Fascism and the Politics of Race in Late Colonial Burma, which will be reviewed at Cornell University Press. He has also published several articles on his research, including “Partners in Empire? Co-Colonialism and the Rise of Anti-Indian Nationalism in Burma” in the Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History and “‘Buddhism Has Been Insulted, Take Immediate Steps:’ Burmese Fascism and the Origins of Burmese Islamophobia” in the Journal of Modern Asian Studies.

Posts From This Author

Islam and Race in Myanmar: The Racialization of the Rohingya

By Matthew J. Bowser // June 9, 2022

This mass meeting of the Arakan Mohamedans [Rohingya] of Akyab Township emphatically protests against the latest definition of Arakan Mohamedans by the Deputy Commissioner Akyab as only those who bear Arakanese names or wear Arakanese…