Biographical Essay: Myanmar Historian Daw Kyan (1918–2019)

Abstract

Daw Kyan was a well-known scholar and humanist who devoted much of her time to research on Myanmar history. Since the 1960s, she had been writing books and articles on various subjects, while also mentoring younger scholars, who are now her successors. Her pen name was Ma Kyan. Sometimes she used her real name, Daw Kyan, as a pen name. As a historian, she meticulously crafted her work, sticking closely to the available evidence, stressing accuracy and precision, and rarely contending with issues for which the data provided little guidance. In the course of her influential and productive career, she compiled and edited many books, among them the Myanmar Encyclopedia Year books, and the English–Myanmar Dictionary. She was a member of the steering committee for the doctorate program at History Department of Yangon University from 2002 to 2005. She was also a member of the Myanmar Literary Awards Selection Committee and the U Ohn Pe Literary Awards Selection Committee. Until the last days of her immensely busy and productive life, she continued to serve as a full-time member of the Myanmar Language Commission. Throughout her life she worked tirelessly to preserve her country’s historical heritage and to make students aware of their rich heritage. Since 1999 the author had met with Sayamagyi Daw Kyan as her PhD candidate. The author got the PhD degree in 2005 under the supervision of Daw Kyan. The Journal of Burma Studies Vol. 24, No. 2, (2020) pp. 315–324 © 2020 Center for Burma Studies