from Burma to a variant of its ancient Burmese-language ethnonym, Myanmar. It was something that would lead to endless confusion and debate in the years to come. The junta claimed to be ending a colonial legacy. But as “Myanma” refers only to the majority Burmese people, not to the Shan, the Karen, or others, the move also signaled the revival of a nationalism centered squarely on a Burmese–Buddhist racial and cultural core.
