Buddhist Fundamentalism and Minority Identities in Sri Lanka

by Tessa J. Bartholomeusz

Overview

Buddhist Fundamentalism and Minority Identities in Sri Lanka explores Sinhala-Buddhist fundamentalist ideology and its power to shape the identities of Sri Lanka's ethnic and religious minorities. Sinhala-Buddhist fundamentalists in contemporary Sri Lanka share an ideology that asserts a vital link between the island of Sri Lanka and the Sinhala people, especially in their role as curators of Buddhism, and often at the exclusion of the minorities. Minority responses to Sinhala-Buddhist fundamentalism are manifold, ranging from assimilation to the formation of rival fundamentalisms. The authors provide views of history markedly different from most scholarly reflections on Sri Lanka; thus, the history of shifting perceptions of Sinhala-Buddhist fundamentalism offered here constitutes an important contribution to the subaltern history of Sri Lanka. By treating both the of Sinhala-Buddhist fundamentalism in the development late nineteenth century and its hegemony in the late-twentieth, this study links the present to the past.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780791495865
Publisher:	State University of New York Press
Publication date:	09/30/2009
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	926 KB

About the Author

Tessa J. Bartholomeusz is Associate Professor of Religion at Florida State University and has written Women under the Bo Tree: Buddhist Nuns in Sri Lanka.

Chandra R. de Silva is Professor and Chair of the Department of History at Old Dominion University and has published several books, including Sri Lanka: A History.

Table of Contents

	Preface	vii
1.	Buddhist Fundamentalism and Identity in Sri Lanka	1
2.	Conflicts of Identity and Interpretation in Buddhism: The Clash between the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement and the Government of President Premadasa	36
3.	The Plurality of Buddhist Fundamentalism: An Inquiry into Views among Buddhist Monks in Sri Lanka	53
4.	The Impact of Land Reforms, Rural Images, and Nationalist Ideology on Plantation Tamils	74
5.	In the Shadow of Violence: "Tamilness" and the Anthropology of Identity in Southern Sri Lanka	89
6.	Sufi and Reformist Designs: Muslim Identity in Sri Lanka	110
7.	Sinhala Anglicans and Buddhism in Sri Lanka: When the "Other" Becomes You	133
8.	Catholic Identity and Global Forces in Sinhala Sri Lanka	147
9.	Buddhist Burghers and Sinhala-Buddhist Fundamentalism	167
10.	The Persistence of Political Buddhism	186
	Select Bibliography	197
	Contributors	207
	Index	209

Editorial Reviews

Comprises 10 contributions on the ethnic and religious issues facing modern Sri Lanka. Topics include the clash between the Sarvodaya Shramadana movement and the government of President Premadasa, the impact of land reforms and nationalist ideology on plantation Tamils, Sinhala Anglicans and Buddhism in Sri Lanka, and Buddhist Burghers and Sinhala-Buddhist fundamentalism.

Booknews

This book is a valuable addition to the field since its primary focus is on the "Other," that is, on minority communities and the impact that the development of Sinhala-Buddhist fundamentalism has had on their self-identity. The article bibliographies are good and the writing is generally solid, informative, and thought-provoking. This book would make a valuable companion piece to any one of the volumes listed in the extensive "Selected Bibliography" that discuss Buddhist revivalism and the development of Sinhala-Buddhist fundamentalism. -- Journal of Buddhist Ethics

Mavis L. Fenn

It is a superlative collection of essays on an extremely important subject, one that will be of interest to readers from all sorts of disciplines: history, sociology, religious studies, and political science. The topic is significant from several perspectives: 1) it is arguably the single most important issue facing Sri Lanka today, and 2) it is the ‘tip of the iceberg,’ so to speak, of a phenomenon that is increasingly encountered both in the region and in the world at large, notably religio-ethnic communalism. This book will be a standard reference for years to come.” — Bruce Matthews, Acadia University

From the Publisher