Ever since he addressed the failed coup of 1962 in a book-length stud,y Donald L. Horowitz has kept an eye on Sri Lankan affairs and has now unveiled a new book tackling central issues in the democratic process on a worldwide scale –with one chapter devoted to the problems TODAY in Sri Lanka ….. Editor, Thuppahi
Donald L. Horowitz, James B. Duke Professor of Law and Political Science Emeritus, Duke University
Filed under accountability, authoritarian regimes, British colonialism, Buddhism, centre-periphery relations, chauvinism, communal relations, conspiracies, democratic measures, demography, economic processes, electoral structures, ethnicity, European history, Fascism, foreign policy, fundamentalism, governance, historical interpretation, human rights, Indian Ocean politics, insurrections, language policies, Left politics, legal issues, life stories, modernity & modernization, nationalism, parliamentary elections, political demonstrations, politIcal discourse, power politics, power sharing, religious nationalism, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, sri lankan society, terrorism, truth as casualty of war, Uncategorized, vengeance, world events & processes
Michael Roberts
In re-establishing communication with two old Mertonians of the early 1960s generation at my College in Oxford, viz, Tony Roberton and Keith Shuttleworth, I have been induced to reflect upon my unusual circumstances as a postgraduate at Merton and Oxford. Apart from being one of the few Sri Lankans in that University,[i] I happened to be (A) engaged in postgraduate work which demanded research at the Public Record Office in Chancery Lane in London, and (B) a colonial visitor with the asset of two sisters domiciled in London.[ii]
Tony is kneeling on the left upfront; while Keith is on my rght– Merton rugger team c. 1964/65
Filed under British colonialism, centre-periphery relations, Colombo and Its Spaces, communal relations, cultural transmission, economic processes, education, ethnicity, governance, historical interpretation, land policies, language policies, Left politics, life stories, modernity & modernization, nationalism, parliamentary elections, patriotism, performance, plural society, politIcal discourse, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, social justice, sri lankan society, teaching profession, world events & processes
ITEM presented in reverse chronological order by Sophia Corfield … a postgrad at Adelaide University when this list was compiled, circa 2012
Filed under accountability, authoritarian regimes, British colonialism, demography, devolution, economic processes, ethnicity, European history, governance, heritage, historical interpretation, insurrections, island economy, Kandyan kingdom, landscape wondrous, language policies, Left politics, life stories, modernity & modernization, nationalism, plantations, plural society, politIcal discourse, power politics, racist thinking, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, sri lankan society, welfare & philanthophy, world events & processes
The Ceylon Journal is finally out
On August 2, 2024, the inaugural volume of The Ceylon Journal was launched at the Sri Lanka Medical Association Auditorium. This new publication by Heritage Publications is spearheaded by young historian Avishka Mario Senewiratne, features 15 articles exploring various facets of Sri Lankan history, including politics, architecture, folklore, and more. Inspired by Charles Ambrose Lorenz’s Young Ceylon, the journal aims to deepen understanding of Sri Lanka’s heritage and inspire progress.
Filed under accountability, art & allure bewitching, cultural transmission, democratic measures, economic processes, education, ethnicity, heritage, historical interpretation, human rights, language policies, Left politics, legal issues, life stories, literary achievements, modernity & modernization, nationalism, parliamentary elections, patriotism, pilgrimages, plantations, plural society, political demonstrations, politIcal discourse, power politics, press freedom & censorship, reconciliation, refugees, religiosity, self-reflexivity, social justice, Sri Lankan cricket, Sri Lankan scoiety, Tamil migration, tamil refugees, teaching profession, theatre world, tourism, transport and communications, welfare & philanthophy
Geethika Dharmasinghe, in Colombo Telegraph, 23 January 2021, where the title reads as “Our Malathi”… presented here with emphasis imposed by The Editor, Thuppahi
She was the first woman in Sri Lankan politics after Kumari Jayawardena to build an awareness on the role of woman and of her ‘traditional’ position, uniting academic work and politics. She is an anthropologist, and a feminist activist. Her activism and scholarly interests were in understanding militarization, motherhood, and the role of memories in the context of nationalist histories.
Dr. Malathi de Alwis
Dr. Kumari Jayawardena
Filed under accountability, anti-racism, art & allure bewitching, British colonialism, centre-periphery relations, commoditification, communal relations, constitutional amendments, cultural transmission, democratic measures, economic processes, electoral structures, ethnicity, female empowerment, governance, heritage, historical interpretation, island economy, language policies, Left politics, life stories, modernity & modernization, nationalism, parliamentary elections, politIcal discourse, power politics, press freedom & censorship, racism, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, sri lankan society, truth as casualty of war, unusual people, war reportage, welfare & philanthophy, world events & processes
Michael Roberts
The library at Adelaide Univeristy is known as the BARR-SMITH LIBRARY. The staff in the “Special Collections” within the library over the years have been especially helpful over a long period and were hands-on central in organising the Roberts Oral History Project from the 1980s and subsequently (see https://www.adelaide.edu.au/library/special/mss/roberts/).
But it is by pure chance that I came across a document penned in my hand detailing the stock of manuscripts and photocopied material that I had placed within the Special Collections –maybe because our home is adjacent to a National Park and within a high fire-risk arena.
Let me assure all ye readers that I have been stunned by some of the items that I have collected –some of them original Mss items; with the others being copies. but the main point is that some of these copies reproduce very rare items. Moreover, I find that the range and type of items placed within the realm of the Barr-Smith are quite astonishing. It remains to be seen whether readers and investigators of the past accept that evaluation. I should add that I will be among the personnel delving into some of the data within this stock; but I do not have long to live…..and this stock is there for posterity.
Filed under accountability, British colonialism, Buddhism, Colombo and Its Spaces, colonisation schemes, commoditification, communal relations, cultural transmission, Dutch colonialism, economic processes, Eelam, electoral structures, Empire loyalism, ethnicity, fundamentalism, governance, growth pole, historical interpretation, Indian Ocean politics, insurrections, irrigation, island economy, land policies, language policies, Left politics, life stories, modernity & modernization, Muslims in Lanka, nationalism, parliamentary elections, patriotism, plantations, plural society, political demonstrations, politIcal discourse, population, power politics, prabhakaran, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, Sri Lankan cricket, sri lankan society, Tamil civilians, transport and communications, vengeance, world events & processes, zealotry
Uditha Devapriya … in The Island, 28 June 2024, where the title reads: “A Tribute to Kumari Jayawardena” … while the presentation here includes highlights imposed by The Editor
Last month the Collective for Historical Dialogue & Memory (CHDM) organised a screening of Conversations with Kumari, a documentary on Kumari Jayawardena. Last week Jayawardena turned 93. Yesterday I reflected on her and the generation she represented. That generation is leaving us, but it remains as influential as ever.
Filed under anti-racism, art & allure bewitching, British colonialism, caste issues, centre-periphery relations, commoditification, communal relations, democratic measures, discrimination, economic processes, ethnicity, governance, historical interpretation, Indian Ocean politics, Indian traditions, island economy, landscape wondrous, language policies, Left politics, life stories, modernity & modernization, nationalism, parliamentary elections, plural society, political demonstrations, politIcal discourse, racist thinking, religious nationalism, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, social justice, Sri Lankan scoiety, unusual people, welfare & philanthophy, working class conditions, world events & processes
Presenting an academic article published in Contributions to Indian Sociology , n.s, Vol 21, 1-25 … also reproduced subsequently in Sri Lanka in 1989 as No, 10 within the SSC Pamphlet Series marshalled by the late Ana Chittambalam, Willa Wickremasinghe , Hari hulugalle and Michael Roberts
Elizabeth Nissan: “The work of Sri Lankan anthropologists: A bibliographic survey”
Introduction: Although many of the studies included in this essay are concerned with Sri Lanka, this is not a bibliographic essay on the anthropology of that country. It is, instead, a survey of the work of Sri Lankan anthropologists, wherever they may have carried out their research.
Filed under Aboriginality, accountability, art & allure bewitching, authoritarian regimes, British colonialism, Buddhism, caste issues, centre-periphery relations, Colombo and Its Spaces, colonisation schemes, commoditification, communal relations, cultural transmission, democratic measures, demography, discrimination, disparagement, Dutch colonialism, economic processes, education, ethnicity, fundamentalism, governance, hatan kavi, heritage, historical interpretation, immigration, Indian Ocean politics, Indian traditions, irrigation, Islamic fundamentalism, island economy, landscape wondrous, language policies, Left politics, life stories, literary achievements, modernity & modernization, nationalism, performance, pilgrimages, plantations, plural society, political demonstrations, politIcal discourse, Portuguese in Indian Ocean, power politics, racism, religiosity, religious nationalism, riots and pogroms, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, social justice, sri lankan society, Tamil civilians, terrorism, the imaginary and the real, travelogue, vengeance, violence of language, welfare & philanthophy, working class conditions, world events & processes, zealotry
Go to …. https://itihas.lk/contact/ … Note that the presentation here is a re-cast selection by The Editor of Thuppahi who has also imposed his colourings on the text
Itihas aims to equip Sri Lankan youth with the ability to think critically about their past, present, and future. It specifically aims to debunk mythological understandings of history that afford to particular ethno-religious groups a sense of superiority or authenticity over others. Rather than acting as a gatekeeper of knowledge, Itihas seeks to empower future generations of students, scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to learn about, research, and make informed decisions on divisive issues such as conflict, discrimination and violence in a manner that advances a more inclusive Sri Lanka.
Photo by Tashiya De Mel
Itihas – Advancing history education reform in Sri Lanka
Filed under accountability, anti-racism, art & allure bewitching, British colonialism, British imperialism, Buddhism, caste issues, centre-periphery relations, Colombo and Its Spaces, communal relations, constitutional amendments, cultural transmission, democratic measures, Dutch colonialism, economic processes, education, education policy, ethnicity, European history, female empowerment, foreign policy, gender norms, governance, heritage, historical interpretation, human rights, Indian Ocean politics, insurrections, Islamic fundamentalism, island economy, land policies, landscape wondrous, language policies, law of armed conflict, Left politics, legal issues, life stories, literary achievements, LTTE, medical marvels, military strategy, modernity & modernization, Muslims in Lanka, nationalism, parliamentary elections, patriotism, photography & its history, pilgrimages, plantations, plural society, political demonstrations, politIcal discourse, population, Portuguese imperialism, power politics, power sharing, prabhakaran, Presidential elections, press freedom & censorship, racist thinking, Rajapaksa regime, refugees, religiosity, riots and pogroms, security, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, social justice, Sri Lankan cricket, sri lankan society, suicide bombing, Tamil civilians, Tamil migration, tamil refugees, teaching profession, transport and communications, truth as casualty of war, vengeance, war crimes, war reportage, working class conditions, world events & processes, World War II and Ceylon, zealotry
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