.

100 Jahre für Gewaltfreiheit

1. - 3. August 2014!

Konstanz- Germany

Geography

People and Society

Government

Economy

Location:

Southern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of India

Area:

total: 65,610 sq km

country comparison to the world: 122land: 64,630 sq km

Slightly larger than Switzerland

water: 980 sq km

We cannot talk about justice and democracy separating from past and present and also other social and political issues

All are interrelated. So that, democracy and justice are sources of politics, economics, social and cultural sections.

Sri Lankan social formation widely can be understood under three periods

1.Pre colonial period

2.Colonial period

3.Post- colonial period

Ethnic conflict

Class Conflict

Environment

And so on

Historiography – Mahavamsa chronical

Narratives

Identity – Split in Identiy (1)

Sinhala vs Sri Lankan

Sinhala vs Tamils

Ideologies – Sinhala- Buddhist- Aryan

Mahavamsa as a historical text, though it has gaps and

contradictions, we cannot avoid in its soul that has being emerging

with glamour throughout the time. In academic scholarship, people

do analyze and deconstruct but in common sense, though people

read or not, listen or not, they believe in its stories and it is

considered more or less as a holy text. Its hegemonic effectiveness

is more powerful than a historical source, when it is brought in

means of identity issues and communalistic sense for political and

religious propagandas. Particularly in ethnic issue, there are lots of

narratives that create Sinhala Buddhist ideology as the safe guard

of Buddhism and the land.

The great chronical

Mahavamsa

“Buddha’s three visits to the Island; first to‘Mahiyaganaya’, second to ‘Nagadeepa’and third to ‘Kelaniya’ are legendrynarratives strongly woven to build thefoundation of Buddhism, though it ishistorically questionable. However, it isbelieved thoroughly and these three visitshave placed sacred feelings in the hearts ofcommon Sinhala Buddhist public and theyconsider the above three places as holyplaces, The importance of this narrativeconveys the recognition of the ideologyfrom generation to generation as symbolsof Sinhala Buddhist power. According toMahavamsa and some arguments ofscholars based on the chronicle, it isimportant to mention here how these threevisits generate the conflict in justificationand it help to strengthen the ideology forSinhalese Buddhists”

Buddha’s Three

Visits

“ When we go through the mythical story ofarrival of Vijaya (in chapters 5-10), Mahavamsatakes us to the past and gives us a wonderfulstory to read about the origin of thegeneration of Vijaya. In the same time, thelegacy of Sinhalese and purity of Buddhismbecome questionable with its relationshipwith Vijaya. These all together do not bring acorrect legitimacy for the legacy of Sinhalese.When the myths are taken to fill the gap ofhistory by making the bridge, the output ofthe ideology that comes out from narrativesbecome controversial. Identity of Sinhaleseand philosophy of Buddhism are connectedthrough with unethical lines of illegitimacyand violence.”

Vijaya- Founder of

Sinhala race

“Dutthagamini in Mahavamsa is one of theeffective mega narratives, which is like arising star constantly in the sky of theBuddhism and Sinhala nationalism in SriLanka. The brightness of the epic has beenexpanding throughout the history in variousstages in politics and it has been reincarnatedin postcolonial Sri Lanka in the context ofethnic issues and the logic of nation building.In this mega narrative, there are subnarratives also go together and separately tostrengthen the ideology of Sinhala Buddhistnationalism.”

Saga of

Duttagamini

Sinhala Buddhist Ideological Triangle

Sinhala Ideology

Buddhist Ideology

Aryan Ideology

“The most elementary definition of ideology is probably the well-known phrase from Marx’s Capital: ‘Siewissen das nicht, abersie tun es’- ‘they do not know it, but they are doing it’. (Zizek)

ownership

ABC Triangle

Politcal changes

have happened

many times in the

post colonial history

Root causes of social

justice and

democracy is always

forgotten after the

political power.

Behavior

Atitiudes

Invisible

Contradictions

B

A C

Sinhalese

TamilsMuslims

BuddhismHinduism

Islam

Chritian

Colonialism - Impacts of colonialism has created conflicts its own for building a new nation after the independence

Social change- capitalism was super imposed.

Perverted society, contradiction with tradition

Ideology – primodial + modern with Sinhala Buddhsit

Aryan ideology

Identity – split of the soul (2)

Portuguese- 1505

Dutch- 1658

British- 1796- 1948

«According to foster asserts that colonialism is more than just a narrative of momentary disarray, for colonialism has become nature itself (colonialism and culture)”

S/B ideological agent: Dharmapala

Abscence of Justice and Democracy

Problem of the nation building

Ethnic conflcit

Political changes

1956- power shifts to a new class

1977- introduction of Liberal economy

1994- so called of humanistic face to the economy

Uprisings- 1971 Southern Youth

1988/ 89

Black July- a historical phenomenan

Last war 2009- Rajapaksha Regime + Tamil Tigers

So called

independence

From 1948

S/B ideological

conveyor: Nalin de

Silva

Sri Lanka can be identified as two sections

1. Post Colonial capitalized part (Sothern) Sinhalese)

2. Neo colonial capitalizing part (North & east) Tamils Muslims

North and East has a different social structure.

Minority Tamils still dominated like slaves, labors,

Clash of Tamils Civilization

Land issues comes out as significant factor

Militarization

Reconciliation

War crimes

Political solution

People – increasing selfishness(in family/ education/ society)

present regime and power hegemony

Other Political power structures

Representative democracy

Law and order

Media

Intellectuals

Religious power

INGOs and NGOs

Civil society

Challenges for

Justics, Democracy

and Peace

Family oriented, corruption, Theft, Drugs

Authoritarian, dictatorship, nationalistic .

Because of these reasons, basic principles of

peace, justice and democracy cannot be

expected

Verbally, government uses Justice, democracy

and Humanity for its survival and

propaganda. In practice: it is problematic

Peace is “their peace”/ “Victor’s peace”

One example:

See the Rajapaksha family tree

A new type of rule in

the post colonial

history

He is accepted

because of the

destruction of LTTE

A new Dutugemunu

A new thought for a

destruction

For all of these, he

uses the executuve

power

Opposition - internal conflict/leadership/policies(It is also one side of the same coin)

Leftist parties- Theory oriented/ Powerless

Pressure groups-

Civil society

About 67 registered political parties

But in mainstream: only a few

Powerless, ideologically weakness

Most of politics are sunk in the sea of

Sinhala Buddhist nationalism

So called progressive politics are also more or less weaker to face the ideology

No space for a single

structure

Divided and

complicated

Frustated people

State controlled

Non Policies

In danger

Freedom of expression for truth

Vagabond(lumpen) “ dangerous class” Truth based, justice

and democracy

based, a media

culture creation is a

challenge

Tactically used by the government

Indirectly silenced, oppression

Disgusted

Outside

So called groups of intellectuals guide the society

Support for the dictatorship and protect the injustice rule

Used by the regime

Partial

Nationalistic/ extremists

Justify violence and oppression

A Virus for peace and harmony

Anti- west

Intolerance

Buddhism

New type of Buddhist

movements –

Bodu Bala sena

Ravana Balakaya

Hela Urumaya

https://www.youtube.com/results?search

_query=aluthgama+attack

Controlled by the government/ bias

Hidden agendas

Bad images

UN role – unsatisfied

(Blind and Deaf Elephant) Registered NGOs:

1349

Most of these are

talking about peace,

justice, equality

There are three actors

Regime – Victor's peace

International – Agenda peace

Traditional- survival peace

Radical - ?

Political change

Ideological change

su

pe

rstr

uc

ture

Infra

struc

ture

Only a political change

does not support to

gain justice, democracy

and peace

Alternative politics

does not signify for a

holistic change for the

above elements

Base on power, not for

the humanity base

From top to Bottom and bottom to top

Learning by doing

Theory and practice

With holistic approaches

This is to be elaborated by Karl Brunner in the next presentation

It is to be created.

Others experiences

Basic needs (Survival)

Well being

Identiy and dignity

Equity

Unity in DiversityPeace would come

alongwith these

elements

People can be motivated

Time /Space/ Leadership

Honesty/ dedication

Theory and practice

Democratic practice for its own culture

Re thinking

Re creating

Re building

Re fresh

Revolution

Re- birth

Everything is to be

recreated

“You may say I am a dreamer, but I am not the only one

I hope some day you join us and the world will be as one”

John Lennon

Welcome to

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