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The militarisation of the Sinhala-Tamil conflict in Sri Lanka began in the 1970s when attempts to reconcile by peaceful means the Tamils' claim for basic individual and collective rights with the Sinhalese need to allay their chronic sense of insecurity finally failed. Since then the struggle has intensified, erupting successively in the burning of the Jaffna Public Library in 1981, the anti-Tamil pogrom in 1983, and the army's assault on Jaffna in 1995. The mainly Hindu Sri Lankan Tamils have always been separated by language, religion, and history from the Buddhist Sinhalese although the minority community in the island vastly outnumbers the Sinhalese when the 40 million Tamils in South India are taken into account. The author's analysis is informed by first-hand knowledge and personal contact with many of the actors involved.
S.J. Chelvanayakam was one of the most prominent leaders of the Ceylon Tamils before and after the end of colonial rule, and in the early days of their struggle for political and economic equality. The author, who knew Chelvanayakam intimately, analyzes in this work his career and his symbiotic relationship with the Ceylon Tamils, which led eventually to the emergence and reinforcing of a defensive Ceylon Tamil nationalism.
This text discusses the principal political and constitutional questions that have arisen in the states of Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka following fifty years of independence. In Sri Lanka the pressing problems have been around the inter-ethnic civil war, experiments with constitutional designs, widespread prevalence of corruption and the recrudescence of Buddhist militancy. In India it has been corruption, Hindu nationalism and general political instability. In Bangladesh and Pakistan it has been the role of the military, the state and religion. A general theme is an analysis of the malaise that is prevalent and how and why this was inherited, despite the colonial legacy of parliamentary democracy, the steel framework of a trained bureaucracy, the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law.
Wilson (political science, U. of New Brunswick, Canada) analyzes the rise of Tamil nationalism in Sri Lanka, examining the social and caste structure of the Tamils and their linguistic, cultural, and literary heritage. He traces the evolution of Tamil political activity and ethnic consciousness, and details the militarization of Tamil youth, struggles among Tamil groups, Indian intervention, and phases leading to the present impasse. The author has written extensively on Sri Lankan politics, and was for several years the late President Jayewardene's advisor on Tamil affairs. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR.
In This Informed Historical Account, The Author Traces The Growth And Transformation Of Tamil Consciousness In Sri Lanka From A Movement To Safeguard Cultural Identity To A Political Struggle For A Separate State. He Also Examines The Social And Caste Structure Of The Sri Lankan Tamils And Their Linguistic, Cultural And Literary Heritage. He Describes Their Political And Cultural Activity In The Nineteenth Century And The Expressions Of Rising Tamil Consciousness In The Twentieth Century. · Draws On First-Hand Research.
South Asia Presents A Mosaic, A Congeries Of Artificial Administrative Entitilies Left By A Departing Power. This Book Looks At The Subsequent Histories Of Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, India In Much Detail.
This Book Examines The Interelationships Between The Island`S Various Social, Religios And Ethni Groups, The Progress Of The Economy And The Processes Which Manipulate Change. This Revised Edition Not Only Updates Events But Makes Fresh Analyses In The Context Of Developments From 1973 To 1979. First End Page Missing, Bookseller`S Stamp On The Title Page, Text Absolutely Clean, Black Mark On The Last End Page, Condition Good
The work of twenty-two scholars is brought together in this comparative study of the emerging relationships between religion and politics in India, Pakistan, and Ceylon. Part I, "South Asia: Unity and Diversity," presents a comparative analysis of religio-political patterns in the three countries. Part II, “India: The Politics of Religious Pluralism,” emphasizes the rich diversity of Indian religious life and its political consequences. Part III, “Pakistan: The Politics of Islamic Identity,” is chiefly concerned with the political, ideological, and legal problems which Pakistan has faced. Part IV, “Ceylon: The Politics of Buddhist Resurgence,” emphasizes the dramatic developments...
Fifty-four images and more than ninety classic and contemporary texts introduce Sri Lankas recorded history of more than two and a half millennia.