This is the transcript of my talk at the Teach-Out organised by Sachini Perera, with Hyshyama Hamin at Independence Square on 8 April 2022. — Today we are witnessing mass protests across the island, in a way we haven’t seen before. Some of you here tonight may be...
Curated by Shamara Wettimuny who is a Beit Scholar in History at the University of Oxford. Her doctoral thesis is on identity formation and religious conflict in British colonial Sri Lanka. She is also a Tutor in Global and Imperial History at Worcester College,...
On 20 March, I read a letter from the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society of Sri Lanka (Ceylon) (WNPS). The letter was shared on Twitter following the removal of the ‘Stop Ecocide’ mural at Viharamahadevi Park. The letter, addressed to the Mayor of...
Locally, and globally, the freedom of religion is recognized and enshrined in laws, treaties and conventions. History shows that when such freedoms are suppressed, the victimized community often reacts through dissent, protest, and occasionally, violence. This article...
The very first Muslim political representatives were appointed during the period of Britishcolonial rule, as ‘communal’ representatives. For over fifty years following the establishmentof the Ceylon Legislative Council in 1833, the Muslims did not have separate...
University of Oxford [email protected] Sri Lanka in 2019 and 2020 was characterised by Islamist violence and its aftermath, a presidential and general election, and COVID-19. This article traces the internal, economic and foreign policies of Sri Lanka...
This working paper explores Muslim identity in Ceylon in the late nineteenth century. It introduces the various Muslim populations in Ceylon during this period, and explores the role of transnational actors in driving an Islamic revival in Ceylon. The paper also...
By Shamara Wettimuny Sri Lanka is a multi-ethnic, multi-faith island. Yet despite centuries of physical coexistence, ethnic, religious and linguistic differences continue to bring communities into conflict. Muslims in Sri Lanka (comprising around 9.7% of the...
I recently stumbled upon some fascinating facts about ‘federalism’ in Sri Lanka in the course of reading about our twentieth century history. The idea has a negative connotation today, and is often associated with ‘separatism’. However, it has an interesting history...
By Shamara Wettimuny The recent Easter Attacks targeting a number of churches and hotels devastated Sri Lanka. Over 250 people were killed, and many more were injured. Within days of the attack, it emerged that the perpetrators of the attack were affiliated to radical...