Author: The SSA

[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text] Polity Volume 7, Issue 1, pp.10-13 (Download PDF) MeeNilankco Theiventhran’s essay on Tamil nationalist politics makes clear that crises of legitimacy and credibility after the January 8th election is not a factor that is limited to politics in the South. As Theiventhran argues, the victory of the Yahapalana coalition has unexpectedly exacerbated… Continue reading Tamil Nationalist Act in the Theatre of Good Governance – MeeNilankco Theiventhran

[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text] Polity Volume 7, Issue 1, pp.40-43 (Download PDF) This is an interview with Dr. Nirmal Ranjith Dewasiri, the former President of the Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA) and a key voice in the civil society coalition that contributed to the January 8th election victory of President Maithripala Sirisena. In what has… Continue reading In Quest for Civil Society: An Interview with Dr. Nirmal Ranjith Dewasiri

[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text]   Polity Volume 7, Issue 1, pp.51-53 (Download PDF) In Vangeesa Sumanasekara’s heterodox reading of Prof. Uyangoda’s latest publication, Social Research: Philosophical and Methodological Foundations, there is a serious attempt to locate the text within larger philosophical debates taking place in Sri Lanka about the status of knowledge and the role of… Continue reading A Heterodox Reading of Jayadeva Uyangoda’s Social Research: Philosophical & Methodological Foundations – Vangeesa Sumanasekera

[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text]   Polity Volume 7, Issue 1, pp.44-48 (Download PDF) This is an extract from the field diary of Mark Schubert who closely observed the electoral campaign of Mr. Eran Wickramaratne in the lead up to the August 2015 General Election. His fascinating account of a day on the campaign trail offers a… Continue reading Campaign Trail Blues: Eran Wickramaratne’s 2015 General Election Campaign – Mark Schubert

[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text]   Polity Volume 7, Issue 1, pp.59-63 (Download PDF) This issue of Polity also includes a review of Asoka Handagama’s new film Ege Esa Aga (Let Her Cry) by Dr. Prabha Manuratne. Dr. Manuratne uses the lens of psychoanalysis to draw attention to how the critical debate on male fantasies and female… Continue reading Asoka Handagama’s Let Her Cry: A Cry for a Radical Feminist Cinema – Prabha Manuratne

[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text]   Polity Volume 7, Issue 1, pp.49-50 (Download PDF) The final word in our sections on “The Promise of January 8th” celebrates the enthusiasm and optimism of the Sri Lankan voter who used their ballots to express their desire for change. Therefore, this issue also includes the key findings of the “Political… Continue reading Key Findings – Political Weather Analysis, June 2015

[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text]   Polity Volume 7, Issue 1, pp.32-33 (Download PDF) Dr. Kumari Jayawardena discusses the role that women played in the January 8th election. Dr. Jayawardena emphasizes the need for the newly elected President to make good on his promises to women, particularly with a view to transforming the function of gendered stereotypes… Continue reading How Did Women Vote? – Kumari Jayawardena

[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text]   Polity Volume 7, Issue 1, pp.54-58 (Download PDF) Dr. Kalana Senaratne’s review of Roshan de Silva Wijeyeratne’s Nation, Constitutionalism and Buddhism in Sri Lanka critically contextualizes the text in the wider debates over Sinhala-Buddhist nationalism. It also highlights both the strengths and the limits of de Silva Wijeyeratne’s contribution to understanding… Continue reading The Politics of Sinhala-Buddhist Cosmology – Kalana Senaratne

[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text]   Polity Volume 7, Issue 1, pp.34-39 (Download PDF) In our first interview, Chulani Kodikara, an academic and activist who has spent many years advocating and working towards a quota for women in local governance, reflects on why the recently introduced quota was necessary and timely. She also shares with us her… Continue reading The Cue for Quotas: An Interview with Chulani Kodikara

[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text]   Polity Volume 7, Issue 1, pp.64-65 (Download PDF) Andi Schubert’s review of Silgath Billo focuses on the play’s discussion of the role of complicity in shaping responses to hardline nationalist movements such as Sinha Le that have gained ground recently. By doing so, Schubert locates the play within broader discussions on… Continue reading The Fantasy of Our Detachment: Racism and Complicity in Vijith Nuwan’s Silgath Billo – Andi Schubert