For attorneys in backsliding democracies, this chapter offers a sobering reflection on the limits of legalism and the complex relationship between law, legitimacy, and power.
Cheesman
Mason and Cheesman (2023), “Land and Law Between Reform and Revolution”
This chapter explores how land law in Myanmar functions as a tool of governance, dispossession, and contestation, particularly during the semi-civilian government of the 2010s and in the wake of the 2021 military coup.
Cheesman (2011), “How an Authoritarian Regime in Burma Used Special Courts to Defeat Judicial Independence,”
Nick Cheesman, “How an Authoritarian Regime in Burma Used Special Courts to Defeat Judicial Independence.” Law & Society Review, vol. 45, no. 4 (2011): 801–30. Summary: Why do authoritarian rulers establish special courts? One view …
Cheesman and Min (2013), “Not Just Defending; Advocating for Law in Myanmar”
Cause lawyers in Myanmar use legal formality to promote justice and public accountability, challenging state power, but persistent impunity undermines trust in the law’s effectiveness.