Naomi ‘s research and book-in-progress is on the rise and impact of Myanmar hip hop, a story told alongside the inextricable evolution of modern technology, politics, and youth culture in the country. It is the first modern technology history of Myanmar, as well as the first to lay down the history and explore the significance of the enormously popular genre of Myanmar hip hop, a genre that changed popular culture, as well as the public sphere, and impacted so much more — a fact the whole world was shockingly made aware of when the military executed one of the country’s first hip hop stars in July 2022, Zeya Thaw.

Methodologically, her research involves ethnography and grounded theory analysis.

She presented a paper adapted from the book at the 2016 International Burma Studies Conference entitled: What is Politics in Contemporary Burma? A Journey Through the Academy, Burmese Hip Hop, and Burmese Society.  She also presented on her work at Cornell University's Burma/Myanmar Research Forum: Critical Scholarship and the Politics of Transition in 2014.

Following the horrific executions in Myanmar in the summer of 2022, she was asked to speak at an online memorial alongside former US Ambassadors to Burma and members of the US and Myanmar civilian government, the National Unity Government (NUG).

This article on the history and politics of Myanmar Hip Hip for The Economist sums up some key points of her research.

Some related writing:

Executing This Hip Hop Star Could Be Myanmar’s Biggest Mistake | The Daily Beast

The Roots and Politics of Burmese Hip Hop | The Economist

This Burmese Rapper Sounds Straight Outta Compton, with a Swagger to Match | The World

Burmese Artists Drum up Voter Support for Myanmar’s Main Opposition Party | NPR

Down To The Wires: Burma's Shaky Internet and the NSA Surveillance Scandal Have Something in Common | Slate

Several months after the 2021 coup, she wrote a long Twitter thread centered around Acid (and Zeya Thaw) that ties together some hip hop history, the current political moment, and what the world often thinks about when it comes to Burma.