Snap Judgments
Insight Myanmar31 Loka 2025

Snap Judgments

Episode #423: Ian Taylor is a Canadian photographer whose life shifted from the film industry to decades of work and travel across Southeast Asia. His first experience was with a government-sponsored Asian Studies program in the early 1990s. His early visits to Burma during the junta’s “Visit Myanmar Year” left a strong impression, and he became involved for a short time in advertising there.

By the late 1990s, Taylor had left advertising for photography, focusing on family portraits and NGO assignments across Asia. A formative volunteer trip to Bangladesh further deepened his commitment to humanitarian work, and led him back to Burma.

Taylor left the country in 2015, but reconnected in 2023 through the Thailand-based Border Consortium (TBC). He soon embarked on a volunteer photo project in five refugee camps, describing them as “an active, bustling town with everything.” His photography resists exploitative “poverty porn” and favors portraits that reflect dignity and agency. “Every portrait, in some way, it’s a collaboration.”

Critical of the tourism industry’s distortions, Taylor remains focused on authenticity, connection, and service. In his words: “If you could go to a holiday in the Maldives or something... well, I’d rather go [to a refugee camp]!”

Jaksot(508)

America Decides: How the US Election Could Reshape Burma Policy

America Decides: How the US Election Could Reshape Burma Policy

The stakes for Myanmar are very high in the upcoming US election. Given the two candidates’ different perspectives on international involvement, the transition to a new US administration will directly...

18 Loka 20241h 18min

The Longyi Revolution and Beyond

The Longyi Revolution and Beyond

Episode #275: Nyein Chan May's story is one of unyielding resilience and fierce commitment to justice in the face of overwhelming adversity. Born and raised in Myanmar, she grew up in a society steepe...

15 Loka 20241h 44min

Breaking Ranks

Breaking Ranks

Episode #274: Kyaw San Han, a former police captain turned dissident, offers a stark narrative of courage amid systemic oppression. Fleeing Myanmar with his family, he now lives in Japan, where he con...

8 Loka 20242h 20min

Caught in the Crossfire

Caught in the Crossfire

Episode #273: The 4th International Conference on Burma/Myanmar Studies (ICBMS), hosted by Chiang Mai University in August 2024, brought together over 800 scholars, activists, and experts to discuss M...

4 Loka 20241h 2min

Hello from the Other Side

Hello from the Other Side

Episode #272: “I didn't want to be in a world where we have to keep watching people struggling for freedom and then getting suppressed and getting their dreams crushed. [In Burma,] it was mostly women...

1 Loka 20241h 56min

Monkey in the Middle

Monkey in the Middle

Episode #271: During the anti-military protests of 1988, the man known as Monkey was just an observer. A friend asked him, “Are you a man? If you are a man, why do you just sit and look?”However, over...

27 Syys 20241h

Revolutionizing Relief

Revolutionizing Relief

Episode #270: Adelina Kamal, who makes her second appearance on the podcast, guides listeners through an enlightening journey into the complex and often fraught world of humanitarian aid and crisis ma...

24 Syys 20242h 20min

Why Did Ashin Sarana Disrobe?

Why Did Ashin Sarana Disrobe?

Episode #269: Jansen Stovicek reflects on the emotional and practical challenges surrounding his decision to disrobe after 16 years as a monk. Initially, the idea of disrobing felt unimaginable, as hi...

20 Syys 20242h 1min

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