Michael Edwards

Dr. Michael Edwards is a Lecturer in Anthropology at the University of Sydney, specializing in the anthropology of religious life, media ecology, and political change in South and Southeast Asia, particularly Myanmar. He holds a PhD from the London School of Economics (LSE) and was a Smuts Research Fellow in South Asian Studies at the University of Cambridge. His research explores the intersections of religion, political movements, and diaspora, with a focus on Myanmar's democratic transition and revolutionary dynamics. Edwards has authored works on Buddhist-Christian entanglements, the history of anthropology, and the role of imagination in activism, drawing on the legacies of scholars like David Graeber and Edmund Leach.

Edwards' academic journey includes teaching roles at LSE, King’s College London, and Cambridge. He currently leads research clusters at the Vere Gordon Childe Centre and the Sydney Southeast Asia Centre. His recent book project, *Real Change: Myanmar and the Dissonance of Salvation*, examines Pentecostalism and Buddhism amid Myanmar's political shifts. Supported by grants from the Social Science Research Council and the British Academy, his work bridges ethnography, historical analysis, and contemporary activism.

Teaching includes courses on capitalism, states, and power. He advises students on topics ranging from Myanmar's revolution to diaspora studies. Edwards’ interdisciplinary approach reflects his commitment to linking anthropological theory with real-world political struggles.

• Education: BA (Sydney), MSc (Oxford), PhD (LSE)
• Affiliations: Sydney Southeast Asia Centre, Vere Gordon Childe Centre, Society for the Anthropology of Religion
• Grants: Social Science Research Council, British Academy, Leverhulme Trust

His research on Myanmar’s 2021 uprising highlights the role of imagination in revolutionary movements, blending ethnographic fieldwork with theoretical insights from Graeber and Leach. Edwards also explores transnational religious networks, such as Pentecostalism’s engagement with South Korean modernity, and the contested narratives of Myanmar’s national identity.