Sri Lanka--Ethnic Fratricide and the Dismantling of DemocracyFocusing on the historical events of post-independence Sri Lanka, S. J. Tambiah analyzes the causes of the violent conflict between the majority Sinhalese Buddhists and the minority Tamils. He demonstrates that the crisis is primarily a result of recent societal stresses—educational expansions, linguistic policy, unemployment, uneven income distribution, population movements, contemporary uses of the past as religious and national ideology, and trends toward authoritarianism—rather than age-old racial and religious differences. "In this concise, informative, lucidly written book, scrupulously documented and well indexed, [Tambiah] trains his dispassionate anthropologist's eye on the tangled roots of an urgent, present-day problem in the passionate hope that enlightenment, understanding, and a generous spirit of compromise may yet be able to prevail."—Merle Rubin, Christian Science Monitor "An incredibly rich and balanced analysis of the crisis. It is exemplary in highlighting the general complexities of ethnic crises in long-lived societies carrying a burden of historical memories."—Amita Shastri, Journal of Asian Studies "Tambiah makes an eloquent case for pluralist democracy in a country abundantly endowed with excuses to abandon such an approach to politics."—Donald L. Horowitz, New Republic "An excellent and thought-provoking book, for anyone who cares about Sri Lanka."—Paul Sieghart, Los Angeles Times Book Review |
Contents
1 Backdrop | 1 |
Deep Tentsions and Surface Features | 13 |
3 The Horror Story | 19 |
4 Probing below the Surface | 34 |
A Sketch of the Antecendents | 65 |
6 Two Social Profiles | 87 |
7 Reflections on Political Violence in Our Time | 114 |
8 What Is to Be Done? A Prescription for the Future | 122 |
from The Times of London 18 January 1984 | 143 |
from W Wriggins Ceylon Dilemmas of a New Nation | 145 |
Myths and Realities Report of the Committee for Rational Development November 1983 | 147 |
Appendix 4 Report Made to the United Religious Organization 25 July 1984 | 167 |
Appendix 5 Sri LankaWho Wantas a Separate State? A publication of the Ministry of State the Government of Sri Lanka Overseas Information Series... | 177 |
Notes | 183 |
193 | |
Biographical Interweavings | 129 |
Common terms and phrases
action administrative alleged Anuradhapura areas armed forces army Aryan Badulla Bandaranaike Batticaloa British Buddhist Buddhist monks caste centuries A.D. Ceylon chauvinist Cōla Colombo colonial Constitution cult cultural Cyril Mathew dominance Eastern Provinces economic elections elite employment ethnic conflict fact groups Hindu historical identity Indian Tamils International island Jaffna Tamils Jayawardene Kandy Kandyan Sinhalese Karāva Kataragama Kōṭṭe language leaders lived low-country Sinhalese Mahāvamsa ment militant minister minority Muslims Northern and Eastern Nuwara Eliya Obeyesekere party peasant period plantation police political politicians Polonnaruva populist president recent refugees region religion religious Report riots S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike sangha segments Senanayake Sieghart Sinhala Sinhala Buddhist Sinhalese and Tamils Sinhalese language Sinhalese majority Sinhalese-Tamil Skanda SLFP social society South India Sri Lanka Sri Lankan Tamils Tamil Eelam Tamil population Tamil youth Terrorism terrorists tion tional trade traditional Trincomalee TULF University urban Vavuniya violence Zone