When we read (historical) sources, we have to ask who is writing it & for whom. Chatted to Anju from Hashtag Generation about ‘history’ in Sri Lanka. What is it, how is it used to suppress or erase and what can we do about it? Tune in!...
Blog
Pekoe Trail Podcast – The Fall of The Kandyan Kingdom
The final hurdle of the British invasion of Sri Lanka was the Kingdom of Kandy. Power plays between native elites and their new colonial masters and a disenchantment with the feudal system led to the last King’s capture and British victory. Three notable battles...
Pivotal conversations about Sri lankan contemporary art
The second edition of the #SupportLocalArt: The Talk Series, curated and organised by the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Sri Lanka (MMCA Sri Lanka), took place recently. Initiated by the Saskia Fernando Gallery and supported by Nations Trust Private Banking,...
Sri Lanka’s First Virtual Museum on Religious Freedom
By Dimithri Wijesinghe Religious freedom is the ability provided for every individual – irrespective of the religious community they belong to – to be able to have, hold, change and/or adopt a religious belief of their choice. However, in Sri Lanka, as well as...
Protests in Sri Lanka: A Historical Perspective
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...
Exploring ethno-religious identity formation in the late nineteenth and early twentieth-century Sri Lanka
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,...
The Freedom to Believe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ak0Jl6Wa6kk
“Be Willing To Look At Uncomfortable Histories”: Shamara Wettimuny – #TheDebrief w Roel Raymond
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVp3d-mHFK4
The Game Protection Society, est. 1894.
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...
The Restriction of Religious Rites: An Obstacle to Lasting Peace
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 Origins of Muslim Political Representation and the Shaping of a Ceylon Moor Identity
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...
Sri Lanka 2019-2020: Extremism, elections and economic uncertainty at the time of COVID-19
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...
Imagining a ‘National Headgear’: Islamic Revival and Muslim Identity in Ceylon
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...
The Colonial History of Islamophobic Slurs in Sri Lanka
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...
Beyond Borders ep.6 Sri Lanka – Miss. Shamara Wettimuny
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnPkCmR7CJo