256 pp. March 2006
cloth, ISBN 978-0-8248-3016-8, $44.00
|
Keywords: |
South Asia
history
sociology |
|
Sri Lanka in the Modern Age: A History of Contested Identities
by Nira Wickramasinghe
“[Provides] an informed and sensitive portrayal of evolving identities, beliefs, perspectives and practices in the state and society in twentieth-century Sri Lanka.... It is exceptional in its able and lucid synthesis of wide-ranging research and writing on the subject—much of it very new and recent.... The narration is done with a deft touch, punctuated with thoughtful insights and details. It is often laced with gentle irony and wit which give it a piquant flavor.” —Amita Shastri, San Francisco State University
Since the late 1970s civil war has left Sri Lanka in an almost permanent state of crisis; conventional histories of the country by liberal and Marxist scholars in the last two decades have thus tended to focus on the state’s failure to accommodate the needs and demands of the minorities. The entire history of the twentieth century has been tied to this one key issue. Sri Lanka in the Modern Age offers a fresh perspective based on new research. Above all, the author has written a history of the peoples of Sri Lanka rather than a history of the nation-state. For sale only in the U.S., its dependencies, Canada, and Mexico
Nira Wickramasinghe is professor in the Department of History and International Relations, University of Colombo.
|
