Religion, Space and Conflict in Sri Lanka

Religion, Space and Conflict in Sri Lanka PDF Author: Elizabeth J. Harris
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351400754
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 447

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Book Description
Space is dynamic, political and a cause of conflict. It bears the weight of human dreams and fears. Conflict is caused not only by spatial exclusivism but also by an inclusivism that seeks harmony through subordinating the particularity of the Other to the world view of the majority. This book uses the lens of space to examine inter-religious and inter-communal conflict in colonial and post-colonial Sri Lanka, demonstrating that the colonial can shed light on the post-colonial, particularly on post-war developments, post-May 2009, when Buddhist symbolism was controversially developed in the former, largely non-Buddhist, war zones. Using the concepts of exclusivism and inclusivist subordination, the book analyses the different imaginaries or world views that were present in colonial and post-1948 Sri Lanka, with particular reference to the ethnic or religious Other, and how these were expressed in space, influenced one another and engendered conflict. The book’s use of insights from human geography, peace studies and secular iterations of the theology of religions breaks new ground, as does its narrative technique, which prioritizes voices from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and the author’s fieldwork and personal observation in the twenty first. Through utilizing past and contemporary reflections on lived experience, informed by diverse religious world views, the book offers new insights into Sri Lanka’s past and present. It will be of interest to an interdisciplinary audience in the fields of colonial and postcolonial studies; war and peace studies; security studies; religious studies; the study of religion; Buddhist Studies, mission studies, South Asian and Sri Lankan studies.

Religion, Conflict and Peace in Sri Lanka

Religion, Conflict and Peace in Sri Lanka PDF Author: Jude Lal Fernando
Publisher: LIT Verlag Münster
ISBN: 3643904282
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 381

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Book Description
"A detailed and original work on a specific conflict....A useful platform for wider insights into the requirements of conflict resolution and peacebuilding processes more generally." -- Dr. Iain Atack, International Peace Studies, Irish School of Ecumenics, Trinity Coll., Dublin *** "A very valuable contribution to the history and the sociology of Sri Lanka and also to the search for a just solution for the Tamils." -- Francois Houtart, Professor Emeritus, Catholic U. of Louvain *** "The author's mastery of Sinhala, Tamil and English has given him a special cultural competence to analyse the Sri Lankan conflict within a geopolitical setting." -- Peter Schalk, Professor Emeritus, Uppsala U. *** "A challenging contribution to an ongoing critical examination of the connection between state and religion." -- Prof. Dr. Lieve Troch, Cultural and Religious Sciences, UMESP, Sao Paulo (Series: Theology, Ethics and Interreligious Relations. Studies in Ecumenics - Vol. 2)

Multi-religiosity in Contemporary Sri Lanka

Multi-religiosity in Contemporary Sri Lanka PDF Author: Mark P. Whitaker
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1000455378
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 258

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Book Description
This book presents a collection of original research about every day, innovative, interactive, and multiple religiosities among Sri Lankan Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, Christians, and devotees of New Religious Movements in post-war Sri Lanka. The contributors examine the unique and innovative religiosity that can be observed in Sri Lanka, which reveals a complex reality of mingled, and even simultaneous, cooperation and conflict. The book shows that innovative religious practices and institutions have achieved a new prominence in public life since the end of Sri Lanka’s civil war in 2009. Using the analytic framework of ‘innovative religiosity’ to allow researchers to look at this question between and across Sri Lanka’s plural religious landscape in order to escape both the epistemological and ethnographic isolation of studies that limit themselves to one form of religious practice, the chapters also investigate the extent to which inter-religious tolerance is still possible in the wake of Sri Lanka’s religion-involving civil war, and the continuing influence of populist Buddhist nationalism, globalization and geopolitics on Sri Lanka’s post-war governance. The book offers a novel approach to the study of post-conflict societies and furthers the understanding of the status of tolerance between religious practitioners in contexts where both ethnic conflict and multi-religious sites are prominent. This book is an important resource for researchers studying Anthropology, Asian Religion, Religion in Context and South Asian Studies.

Multi-religiosity in Contemporary Sri Lanka

Multi-religiosity in Contemporary Sri Lanka PDF Author: Mark P. Whitaker
Publisher: Routledge South Asian Religion Series
ISBN: 9780367862343
Category : Sri Lanka
Languages : en
Pages : 288

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Book Description
This book presents a collection of original research about every day, innovative, interactive, and multiple religiosities among Sri Lankan Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, Christians, and devotees of New Religious Movements in post-war Sri Lanka. The contributors examine the unique and innovative religiosity that can be observed in Sri Lanka, which reveals a complex reality of mingled, and even simultaneous, cooperation and conflict. The book shows that innovative religious practices and institutions have achieved a new prominence in public life since the end of Sri Lanka's civil war in 2009. Using the analytic framework of 'innovative religiosity' to allow researchers to look at this question between and across Sri Lanka's plural religious landscape in order to escape both the epistemological and ethnographic isolation of studies that limit themselves to one form of religious practice, the chapters also investigate the extent to which inter-religious tolerance is still possible in the wake of Sri Lanka's religion-involving civil war, and the continuing influence of populist Buddhist nationalism, globalization and geopolitics on Sri Lanka's post-war governance. The book offers a novel approach to the study of post-conflict societies and furthers the understanding of the status of tolerance between religious practitioners in contexts where both ethnic conflict and multi-religious sites are prominent. This book is an important resource for researchers studying Anthropology, Asian Religion, Religion in Context and South Asian Studies.

Religion and Space

Religion and Space PDF Author: Lily Kong
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781474257435
Category : Religion and geography
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description


Religion and Space

Religion and Space PDF Author: Lily Kong
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1474257429
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 211

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Book Description
This is the first study to bring space into conversation with religious competition, conflict and violence in the contemporary world. Lily Kong and Orlando Woods argue that because space is both a medium and an outcome of religious activity, it is integral to understanding processes of religious competition, conflict and violence. The book explores how religious groups make claims to both religious and secular spaces, and examines how such claims are managed, negotiated and contested by the state and by other secular and religious agencies. It also examines how globalisation has given rise to new forms of religious competition, and how religious groups strengthen themselves through the development of social resilience, as well as contribute to resilient societies. Throughout the book, case studies from around the world are used to examine how religious competition and conflict intersect with space. The case studies include topical issues such as competing claims to the Temple Mount/Haram el-Sharif in Jerusalem, opposition to the “Ground Zero mosque” in New York City, and the regulation of religious conversion in India and Sri Lanka. By helping readers develop new perspectives on how religion works in and through space, Religion and Space: Competition, Conflict and Violence in the Contemporary World is an innovative contribution to the study of religion.

Buddhist Extremists and Muslim Minorities

Buddhist Extremists and Muslim Minorities PDF Author: John Holt
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190624388
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 257

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Book Description
This collection of essays investigate the history and current conditions of Buddhist-Muslim relations in Sri Lanka in an attempt to ascertain the causes of the present conflict. It is a much-needed, timely commentary that can potentially shift the standard narrative on Muslims and religious violence.

Reaping the Whirlwind

Reaping the Whirlwind PDF Author: K. M. De Silva
Publisher: Penguin Books India
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 430

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Book Description
A Critical Analysis Of The Ethnic Conflict In Sri Lanka In The Eighties, Sri Lanka, Once Considered The Model Colony, Was Torn Apart By Ethnic Strife Between The Predominantly Buddhist Sinhalas, Constituting Almost Three-Quarters Of The Island S Inhabitants, And The Numerically Fewer Tamils, Who Were A Mix Of Hindus, Christians And Muslims. Massacres Occurred After The Riots Of May 1983, And Over Time About 1,25,000 Tamils Entered India As Refugees, Fleeing From A Virtual Civil War Which Still Afflicts The North Of The Island. The Author, A Renowned Sri Lankan Analyst Of Global Ethnic Conflict, Discusses The Historical Reasons Behind The Ethnic Violence, Especially The Growth Of The Sinhalas Feeling Of Being A Beleagured Minority Despite Their Numerical Strength. Analysing The Present Conflict, He Shows How The Language Policy Of Sinhala Only , Followed By The Government In The Sixties, Supplanted Religion As A Divisive Factor And How Rivalry Over Educational And Employment Opportunities Fuelled The Schism. Bringing The Story Up To The Present, De Silva Examines The Role Played By Indian And Tamil Nadu Politicians, And President Kumaratunga S Efforts Towards A Devolution Of Power To The Tamil Provinces. But Given The Ltte S Acceptance Of Nothing Less Than Eelam, He Sees Little Hope Of An Early End To The Violence That Has Racked Sri Lanka For Almost Two Decades Now.

Buddhism and Ethnic Conflict in Sri Lanka

Buddhism and Ethnic Conflict in Sri Lanka PDF Author: Patrick Grant
Publisher: SUNY Press
ISBN: 9780791493540
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Looks at how a spiritual tradition can be appropriated by those involved in ethno-nationalist conflict.

Language, Religion, and Ethnic Assertiveness

Language, Religion, and Ethnic Assertiveness PDF Author: Kē. En. Ō Dharmadāsa
Publisher: University of Michigan Press
ISBN: 9780472102884
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 386

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Book Description
For nearly four decades, Sri Lanka has been the scene of an escalating ethnic conflict between the majority Sinhalese and the Tamils, who form the largest minority. Language, Religion, and Ethnic Assertiveness traces the development of Sinhalese nationalism by paying particular attention to the Sinhala language and how it relates to Sinhalese national identity. After Sri Lanka became independent from Great Britain in 1948, an official national language had to be chosen - either "Sinhala only" or "parity of status for Sinhala and Tamil". The victory of the "Sinhala only" proposition that won in the general election of 1956 started the antagonism between the Sinhalese and the Tamils that persists to this day. Using hitherto untapped primary sources, K. N. O. Dharmadasa delineates some of the peculiar features of the linkage between state, religion, and ethnicity in traditional Sinhalese society, providing insight into a tragic conflict that has a long and turbulent history. The book has much to offer historians, political scientists, anthropologists, and sociologists of language and religion, as well as students and scholars of South Asia, postcolonialism, ethnicity, cultural identity, and conflict.