Search Results for: identity
The Dutch Burghers in Sri Lanka Today
Prabath De Silva, in Daily Mirror, 21 January 2021, with this title “The Dutch Burghers in Sri Lanka” “We are a vanishing tribe in Sri Lanka. The first paternal ancestor of my father’s family who arrived in Sri Lanka in … Continue reading →
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Filed under accountability, British colonialism, communal relations, cultural transmission, democratic measures, discrimination, economic processes, ethnicity, European history, heritage, historical interpretation, immigration, island economy, landscape wondrous, language policies, life stories, literary achievements, patriotism, plural society, politIcal discourse, Portuguese in Indian Ocean, security, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, travelogue, unusual people, welfare & philanthophy, world events & processes
An Exploration: Discerning How a Sinhalayā in Kandyan Times BECAME Sinhala
Michael Roberts, reproducing here an old draft that is entitled “Becoming Sinhala” *** Preamble The scene is somewhere early in 1984 and the location is the building housing the Social Scientists’ Association on the road to Nawala off Narahenpitiya in … Continue reading →
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Filed under ancient civilisations, authoritarian regimes, British imperialism, caste issues, centre-periphery relations, cultural transmission, disparagement, economic processes, ethnicity, heritage, historical interpretation, island economy, Kandyan kingdom, landscape wondrous, life stories, literary achievements, patriotism, pilgrimages, politIcal discourse, population, Portuguese imperialism, power politics, religiosity, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, the imaginary and the real, transport and communications, Uncategorized, unusual people, world events & processes
Encountering Extremism: Biographical Tracks and Twists
Michael Roberts reproducing an article that originally appeared on the 19th March 2010 in https://sacrificialdevotionnetwork.wordpress.com/ One’s academic trajectories and journeys are invariably subject to vagaries and contingencies. The events and researches leading to my interest in “communal violence” and “zealotry” … Continue reading →
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Filed under accountability, atrocities, British colonialism, centre-periphery relations, chauvinism, communal relations, cultural transmission, disparagement, economic processes, ethnicity, historical interpretation, landscape wondrous, life stories, meditations, modernity & modernization, photography, politIcal discourse, power politics, racist thinking, riots and pogroms, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, sri lankan society, Tamil civilians, the imaginary and the real, vengeance, violence of language, world events & processes
Rulership: Modalities of Superiority and Domination in Sri Lanka
Michael Roberts When viewing the Tamil or Sinhala-majority arenas in pre-colonial times in Sri Lanka one can perceive manifest symbols of lordship and hierarchy existing amidst layers of caste and class differentiation. The penetration of Portuguese and Dutch colonial powers … Continue reading →
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Remembrance: Marking 21/4 Jihadist Zealotry in Sri Lanka
Pictures by Raymond Aponsu and Sulochana Gamage Churches observed Black Sunday yesterday in protest over the terror attacks on 2019 Easter Sunday, calling on the government to deliver justice by prosecuting those responsible for the attacks. Protestors led by the … Continue reading →
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Filed under accountability, atrocities, cultural transmission, discrimination, ethnicity, heritage, historical interpretation, Islamic fundamentalism, jihad, life stories, Middle Eastern Politics, photography, politIcal discourse, power politics, religiosity, self-reflexivity, social justice, sri lankan society, suicide bombing, trauma, violence of language, world events & processes, zealotry
Defining Ethnicity in Sri Lanka and the United States: David Graham’s Story
David Graham I only refer to myself as a Burgher or lansi with people who are likely to know who Burghers or lansis are–or rather, were. It wasn’t until 1986 that I was required to classify myself racially. This was in Grand Junction, Colorado. … Continue reading →
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Being Aloysian: Reflections from a Galle ‘Boy’ in the Year 1997
Michael Roberts, a reprint Intrigued by my speech inflections and my appearance, a friend of mine, a teacher in English Literature,[1] made inquiries after my familial background and my ethnic identity within the melange of ethnic groups in Sri Lanka. … Continue reading →
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Filed under accountability, architects & architecture, art & allure bewitching, cricket for amity, cultural transmission, education, heritage, historical interpretation, life stories, patriotism, performance, self-reflexivity, Sri Lankan cricket, sri lankan society, tolerance, unusual people, world events & processes
Dr Nadeera Rupesinghe: A Refreshing Interview in 2021 with Kamanthi Wickramasinghe
Nadeera Rupesinghe in Q and A with Kamalini Wickramasinghe, 29 January 2020, in an Item entitled ….. “Politicians should Appoint Historians as Advisers – Dr. Rupesinghe” Dr. Nadeera Rupesinghe I believe the Dutch records have the oldest most extensive testimony … Continue reading →
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LANKA can de-dollarize? Beyond Bananas, Beaches, Bases and Dependent Development
Darini Rajasingham-Senanayake Necessity is the mother of invention: Protests are mounting by people from all walks of life in all parts of Sri Lanka against the soaring cost of living, food and fuel shortages, black outs, lockdowns, forced Covid injections, … Continue reading →
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Filed under accountability, export issues, foreign policy, governance, historical interpretation, Indian Ocean politics, island economy, landscape wondrous, modernity & modernization, patriotism, political demonstrations, politIcal discourse, power politics, Rajapaksa regime, self-reflexivity, slanted reportage, sri lankan society, the imaginary and the real, transport and communications, trauma, unusual people, welfare & philanthophy, world events & processes
Shock! Terror! 9/11…… From Within CIA Headquarters at Langley
Anbereen Hasan On 9/11 I was at my desk at the CIA Headquarters in Langley, VA. We had just started our morning meeting when the planes hit the World Trade Towers in NYC. We sat in stunned silence, trying to … Continue reading →
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