Bella Aung

Brief Biography

Isabella Aung is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Political Studies at Queen’s University, researching grassroots women’s digital activism in the ongoing anti-authoritarian movement in Myanmar. Her research explores how contemporary authoritarian power is both contested and sustained through social media. She earned an honors degree in International Relations with a minor in Mathematics from Linfield College, Oregon, and an MA degree in Political Science from Simon Fraser University. She also completed a semester abroad in Politics, French, and Arabic at the University of Nottingham, UK, with first-class honors standing.

She is currently a UBC Myanmar Initiative Fellow. She holds a doctoral scholarship, funded by the Research Network on Women, Peace, and Security (RN-WPS) at McGill University. She also holds a Graduate Research Fellowship at the Centre for International and Defence Policy (CIDP). She has been recognized as an emerging scholar by le Réseau d’analyse stratégique/the Network for Strategic Analysis (RAS-NSA).  She has recently been chosen as a Civil War Paths fellow at the University of York and an inaugural Public Scholarship Fellow at Queen's University.

Research Interests

Decolonizing academia and incorporating the lived experiences of women of Color into academic discourse are her ultimate goals as a researcher. Her research interests include Women, Peace, and Security (WPS), women of Color's electoral representation, and grassroots women's activism against authoritarianism. She specializes in Gender and Politics and Comparative Politics. In terms of methodology, she is trained in both quantitative and qualitative methods. Her regional expertise is in Canada and Myanmar.

Selected Publications

1. Aung, B. (2023, November 13). Myanmar's Higher Education Sector Post-Coup: Areas for Improvement in Interim Education Providers. Tea Circle: A Forum for New Perspectives on Burma/Myanmar. Retrieved from https://teacirclemyanmar.com/education/myanmar-higher-education-post-coup/.
2. Aung, B. (2023, June 1). The Revolution is Female: Myanmar’s Women Fighting Against Min Aung Hlaing’s Junta. Australian Institute of International Affairs (AIIA). Retrieved from https://www.internationalaffairs.org.au/australianoutlook/the-revolution-is-female-myanmars-women-fighting-against-min-aung-hlaings-junta/.
3. Aung, B. (2023). Building National Identity Through Schooling and Language Policies: Burmanization As A Diversity Management Strategy. The Student Strategy & Security Journal, 2(3), 43–49.
4. Aung, B. (2023, February 17). Double Colonization: Residential Schools in Present-Day Myanmar. Population & Security. Retrieved from https://populationandsecurity.com/double-colonization-residential-schools-in-present-day-myanmar/.
5. Aung, B. (2022, December 2). A Double Standard for Students at Risk? Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved from https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2022/12/02/universities-should-better-support-students-fleeing-persecution-opinion.
6. Aung, B. (2021, May 11). A Return to the Comfort Zone Is Not Enough: We Must Fight for Truly Inclusive Freedom. Tea Circle Oxford. Retrieved from https://teacircleoxford.com/opinion/a-return-to-the-comfort-zone-is-not-enough-we-must-fight-for-truly-inclusive-freedom/.
7. Aung, B. (2020). Women and Visible Minority Representation on Vancouver’s City Council [Master's thesis, Simon Fraser University]. Summit - Institutional Repository.
8. Fourot, A. C., & Aung, B. (2019). Fostering Welcoming Communities in Moncton, Dieppe, and Riverview: A Report on Assets and Gaps in Newcomer Services (Rep.). Moncton, NB: Greater Moncton Local Immigration Partnership.
9. Fourot, A. C., & Aung, B. (2019). Favoriser des Communautés Accueillantes à Moncton, Dieppe et Riverview : Un rapport sur les Atouts et les Limites des Services aux Nouveaux (Rep.). Moncton, NB: Greater Moncton Local Immigration Partnership.
10. Aung, B. (2017). Women, Religion, and Democracy in Myanmar [Honors thesis, Linfield College]. Digital Commons at Linfield.