Michael Aung-Thwin (1946 – August 14, 2021) was a Burmese American historian and emeritus professor at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, specializing in early Southeast Asian and Burmese history.[1]
Michael Aung-Thwin | |
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Born | 1946 Rangoon, Burma |
Died | 14 August 2021 Hawaii, United States | (aged 75)
Occupation | Historian |
Title | Emeritus Professor of Asian History |
Spouse | Maria Aung-Thwin |
Children | Maitrii, Amita |
Academic background | |
Alma mater | Doane College University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign University of Michigan |
Academic work | |
Discipline | Southeast Asian History |
Institutions | University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa |
Aung-Thwin was born in Rangoon, Burma (now Yangon, Myanmar) in 1946. Aung-Thwin's mother, Margaret Hope Aung-Thwin, of mixed Anglo-Burmese, Karen, and Arakanese descent, was a Fulbright scholar and lecturer.[2][3] He attended Kodaikanal International School in South India, where his mother taught.[1] He earned a bachelor of arts degree at Doane College in 1969, followed by a master of arts degree at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 1971, and a PhD at the University of Michigan.[1]
Aung-Thwin held academic posts at Elmira College, Kyoto University, Northern Illinois University, the National University of Singapore (NUS), and the University of Hawaii-Manoa. He served as the Director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Northern Illinois University.[1] In 2018, he was awarded the George E. Bogaars endowed professorship at NUS.[4]
Aung-Thwin died at his home in Hawaii on August 14, 2021, after a long illness.[5]
Aung-Thwin was married to Maria, and had two children, Maitrii and Amita.[1] Maitrii Aung-Thwin is a Burmese American historian and professor at NUS.[7]