Turmoil in Sri Lanka

CULTURE AND POLITICS OF IDENTITY IN SRI LANKA: Mithran Thiruchelvam and C. S. Dattathreya - Editors; International Centre for Ethnic Studies, 2, Kynsey Terrace, Colombo-8. Not priced.

THIS IS a collection of essays and research papers presented at a symposium organised by the International Centre for Ethnic Studies in Colombo. Though they deal with diverse issues, the common thread binding them together is their relation to the cultural and political identity of Sri Lanka.

A look at the contributors shows that they are basically academics - an assortment of Fulbright scholars from the U.S., leading Sri Lankan anthropologists and analysts.

They have dealt with diverse themes ranging from male identity, family patterns and the Vihara Mahadevi Park in the heart of Colombo, to the role of non-governmental organisations(NGOs), the transformation of Muslim political identity and an interesting reflection on a ``Decaying nation state''.

Jani de Silva has an interesting exposition on the family and marriage patterns - the evolution of the patriarchal and matriarchal family systems. The elitist position of ``upcountry'' Kandyans and the Goigama class throws light on the hierarchical patterns in the social fabric.

Marisa Angell looks at the history of the Aryan theory in colonial Ceylon in the context of the British empire and the theory's inescapable political reality in the 19th century. Though this theory is controversial, it has explained a lot of the linguistic similarities.

The experiences and case-histories of ``female-headed households'' are the focus of Sasanka Perera's analysis. It throws light on the ``collective painful past'' and the building of a framework for the future of the Sri Lankan society.

It deals with such families in Monaragala and Hambantota districts, ravaged by the brutal killings during the JVP uprising. It should also apply to the families of soldiers killed in the continuing war with the Tamil Tigers. A majority of the island's army comes from the south and drought-prone districts for want of better employment opportunities.

NGOs come under the microscope in Sunil Bastian's analysis and it must be mentioned that some of the governments in Sri Lanka have been very suspicious of the role of many NGOs, particularly because of their external funding and work in the zones of conflict.

Perhaps the most interesting piece is on the Muslim political identity, with special focus on the birth of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), now an ally of the ruling People's Alliance. The question remains whether it should function as a regional party championing the cause of the Eastern Muslims or emerge as a national party with a wider appeal.

The author, Shari Knoerzer, feels that as a regional party, standing up for Ampara and Batticaloa Muslims, the SLMC has won many seats and become a key player. If it shifts its base to Colombo and tries to represent a larger section, it may lose its relevance in the eastern parts of the island.

It must be mentioned that with the emergence of the SLMC, the ethnic question has been further complicated. Sri Lanka has to deal with the future of the Muslims, as distinct from the Tamil minority in the Northeast. It appears too late in the day to unify the Muslims and the Tamils in a common solution.

Without being tied down to a theory, Jayadeva Uyangoda lets his thoughts roam on the lacuna he finds in anthropological inquiry into Sri Lanka's ethnic question and culture-grounded identity politics - the absence of a political theory concerning the nation-state and its historical consequences.

He considers the year 1958 as crucially important in the history of post-colonial Sri Lanka - its coming of age and the Sinhala majoritarian state. Uyangoda describes Sri Lanka's as a South Asian problem calling for South Asian alternatives.

He would love to see a region which will no longer be a ``prison house of nations'', with de-centring of state sovereignty and democratisation of state borders.

V. JAYANTH

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