Economy, Culture, and Civil War in Sri Lanka

by Winslow, Deborah

• ISBN13: 9780253216915
• ISBN10: 0253216915
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-08-01
• Publisher: Indiana Univ Pr

Summary

"Will be of interest to those working on conflict and peace studies, economic development, cultural studies, and women in the modern world. A key new publication." -- Chandra R. de Silva, Old Dominion University"... offers a superb overview of how a civil war, driven by ethnicity, can engender a new culture and a new political economy... Highly recommended." -- ChoiceEconomy, Culture, and Civil War in Sri Lanka provides a lucid and up-to-date interpretation of Sri Lankan society and its 20-year civil conflict. An interdisciplinary examination of the relationship between the economy, broadly defined, and the reproduction of violent conflict, this volume argues that the war is grounded not just in the goals and intentions of the opposing sides, but also in the everyday orientations, experiences, and material practices of all Sri Lankan people. The contributors explore changing political and policy contexts; the effect of long-term conflict on employment opportunities and life choices for rural and urban youth; life histories, memory, and narratives of violence; the "economics of enlisting" and individual decisions about involvement in the war; and nationalism and the moral debate triggered by women's employment in the international garment manufacturing industry.Contributors are Francesca Bremner, Michele Ruth Gamburd, Newton Gunasinghe, Siri T. Hettige, Caitrin Lynch, John M. Richardson, Jr., Amita Shastri, Deborah Winslow, and Michael D. Woost.

Author Biography

Deborah Winslow is Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of New Hampshire.

Michael D. Woost is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Anthropology at Hartwick College.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
A Note on Pronunciation of Sinhala Words	xi
Acronyms	xiii
Map of Sri Lanka	xvi
Articulations of Economy and Ethnic Conflict in Sri Lanka	1	(40)
Deborah Winslow
Michael D. Woost
PART ONE: ARTICULATIONS OF NATIONAL ECONOMIC POLICY AND ETHNIC CONFLICT
Introduction	31	(10)
Deborah Winslow
Violent Conflict and the First Half Decade of Open Economy Policies in Sri Lanka: A Revisionist View	41	(32)
John M. Richardson Jr.
An Open Economy in a Time of Intense Civil War: Sri Lanka, 1994-2000	73	(26)
Amita Shastri
PART TWO: ARTICULATIONS OF CLASS, ETHNICITY, AND VIOLENCE
Introduction	95	(4)
Michael D. Woost
The Open Economy and Its Impact on Ethnic Relations in Sri Lanka	99	(16)
Newton Gunasinghe
Economic Policy, Changing Opportunities for Youth, and the Ethnic Conflict in Sri Lanka	115	(22)
Siri T. Hettige
PART THREE: ARTICULATIONS OF CIVIL WAR IN EVERYDAY LIFE
Introduction	133	(4)
Michael D. Woost
Fragments of Memory, Processes of State: Ethnic Violence through the Life Histories of Participants	137	(14)
Francesca Bremner
The Economics of Enlisting: A Village View of Armed Service	151	(17)
Michele Ruth Gamburd
Economic Liberalization, Nationalism, and Women's Morality in Sri Lanka	168	(24)
Caitrin Lynch
Epilogue, or Prelude to Peace?	192	(13)
Michael D. Woost
Deborah Winslow
References Cited	205	(22)
Contributors	227	(4)
Index	231