Mi Mi Khaing (Burmese: မိမိခိုင် [mḭ mḭ kʰàɪɰ̃]; 1916 – 15 March 1990) was a Burmese scholar and writer who authored numerous books and articles on life in Burma during the 20th century. She is notable as one of the first women to write in English about Burmese culture and traditions.

Mi Mi Khaing
မိမိခိုင်
Born1916 (1916)
Died15 March 1990 (1990-03-16) (aged 73)
NationalityBurmese
Alma materRangoon University[1]
Occupation(s)Scholar, Educator
Known forA Burmese Family
SpouseSao Saimong
ChildrenYin Yin Nwe among others...
Mi Mi Khaing and her husband, Sao Saimong

Life

edit

Born of Mon ancestry,[2] Mi Mi Khaing grew up during the British colonial rule of Burma and was educated in British schools.[3] She attended St. John's Convent School,[4] and gained first a BA (Hons) from Rangoon University and then a BSc from King's College London.[5] She married Sao Saimong, a noted scholar and a member of the royal family of Kengtung State, one of the Shan States. In addition to her writing career, she also established Kambawza College in Taunggyi and served as its principal.[2] In later life she lost her sight as the result of a brain tumour, but learnt to read and write in Braille.[5]

The geologist Yin Yin Nwe is her daughter.

Published works

edit
Books
  • Burmese Family (1946, 1962), Bloomington, IN, Indiana University Press, 1962.
  • Cook and Entertain the Burmese Way (1978), Karoma Publishers, 1978.
  • The World of Burmese Women (1984), London, Zed Press, 1984.
Articles
  • (with Charles S. Brant) Brant, Charles S.; Khaing (Winter 1951). "Burmese Kinship and the Life Cycle: An Outline". Southwestern Journal of Anthropology. 7 (4): 437–454. doi:10.1086/soutjanth.7.4.3628516. S2CID 147131223.
  • "People of the Golden Land: Burmese Character and Customs". The Atlantic. February 1958.
  • "Burmese Names: A Guide". The Atlantic. February 1958.

References

edit
  1. ^ Hastings, Max (2011). Inferno: The World at War, 1939–1945. Random House. ISBN 9780307957184.
  2. ^ a b Trager, Helen G. (1969). We the Burmese: Voices from Burma. Praeger. p. 111.
  3. ^ Anderson, Katrina (2001). "Books for the Study of Burma". Burma Project. Global Source Education. Retrieved 2008-09-02.
  4. ^ Kanbawsa - A Modern Review
  5. ^ a b 'Daw Mi Mi Khaing (1916–1990)', in Anne Commire, ed., Dictionary of Women Worldwide. Republished at encyclopedia.com. Accessed 11 February 2020.

Sources

edit
  • Maxim, Sarah (1987). The World of Burmese Women. The Journal of Asian Studies, Vol. 46, No. 3 (Aug., 1987), pp. 699–700.
  • Clague, John (1948). Burmese Family: Review. International Affairs, Vol. 24, No. 2 (Apr., 1948), p. 298.
  • "Burma/Myanmar Women Studies Bibliography". University of California Berkeley, Library. Retrieved 2008-01-15.