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Calling the Rohingya “Kalar”: Dehumanization and Genocide of the Rohingya in Myanmar

Sariful Islam

ID

DOI: https://doi.org/10.71391/sbv2i2_0001

Pages: 2-7

Keywords: Rohingya, Bangladesh, Myanmar, forced migration, repatriation, crisis management

Abstract

This article traces the genealogy of the word “kala” and how it has acquired a racial and dehumanized connotation over time. It was usually used to denote the people of India (present-day India, Pakistan and Bangladesh), Sri Lanka and Nepal in the pre-colonial era. During the colonial era, it was also used, but later, it started getting a particular connotation to refer to the Indian migrants in the context of the rise of Burmese nationalism. Post-independence usage of the word “kala” or “kalar” bears racial and dehumanizing fervors. This dehumanized use of the word has been a part of the process of Rohingya genocide.

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Published

01/07/2025

How to Cite

Islam, S., (2025). Calling the Rohingya “Kalar”: Dehumanization and Genocide of the Rohingya in Myanmar. SIMEC Bulletin, 2(2), 2-7. https://doi.org/10.71391/sbv2i2_0001

Islam, Sariful. 2025. “Calling the Rohingya ‘Kalar’: Dehumanization and Genocide of the Rohingya in Myanmar.” SIMEC Bulletin 2, no. 2: 2–7. https://doi.org/10.71391/sbv2i2_0001

S. Islam, “Calling the Rohingya ‘Kalar’: Dehumanization and Genocide of the Rohingya in Myanmar,” SIMEC Bulletin, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 2–7, 2025. doi: 10.71391/sbv2i2_0001.

Islam, Sariful. “Calling the Rohingya ‘Kalar’: Dehumanization and Genocide of the Rohingya in Myanmar.” SIMEC Bulletin, vol. 2, no. 2, 2025, pp. 2–7. https://doi.org/10.71391/sbv2i2_0001

License

SIMEC Bulletin

2025, Vol. 2(2), 2-7

DOI: https://doi.org/10.71391/sbv2i2_0001

ISSN: 3006-211X (online);

3006-2101 (print)

@ This work is licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0

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