Migdal’s Theory of the State-in-Society in the Context of Sri Lanka: A Critical Review

Fazil, Mansoor Mohamed

doi:10.36941/ajis-2019-0027

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…The defeat of the Mahinda Rajapakse regime that tacitly provided political patronage to Sinhala Buddhist hardliners saw the democratic transition of regime change in 2015 with a promise to end ethnoreligious violence in Sri Lanka. However, such hope of ending violence against ethnoreligious Muslims, more than three years later, is yet to be realised (Fazil, 2019).…”

Section: Review Of Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Muslim Minority in Post-war Sri Lanka: A Case Study of Aluthgama and Digana Violences

Fowsar

Rameez

2020

AJIS

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Sri Lanka saw an unprecedented degree of anti-Muslim sentiment followed by violence perpetrated by certain extremist elements in recent years. This article primarily examines the implications of anti-Muslim violence that occurred from Aluthgama to Digana and the causes behind the violence. The article shows that anti-Muslim sentiment is manifested in several dimensions: campaigns against Halal, Muslim attire, cattle slaughter, and attacks on mosques and Muslim-owned businesses. This manifestation has resulted in violence against Muslims, causing massive damages to their properties. The study argues that fear of growing Muslim population, economic competition with Muslims, Mahavamsa mentality, and exceptionalism to Buddhist clergies, fear of Islam, and formation of ethnic-based political parties are the causes of anti-Muslim sentiment which later culminated in the form of violence. Therefore, the government needs to enforce law and order equally on all citizens and ensure a policy of multiculturalism and tolerance is strictly maintained.

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Section: Review Of Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Muslim Minority in Post-war Sri Lanka: A Case Study of Aluthgama and Digana Violences

Fowsar

Rameez

2020

AJIS

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“…The devastation of the main secessionist social force (the LTTE) tremendously weakened society's ability to challenge the state, and it has led once again to the establishment of a strong unitary state. Perceived as a strong state leader, Rajapaksa gained unprecedented support from the majority Sinhala people due to the defeat of the militant social rebellion, under the perception that Rajapaksa had safeguarded the Sinhalese/Buddhist state from separatism (Fazil, 2019b). Thus, when the state defeats a strong militant social and oppositional force, it weakens the ability of any continued or preceding social force from advocating on behalf of minority populations and society at large.…”

Section: Absence Of a Strong Social Forcementioning

confidence: 99%

State Reluctance towards Inclusive Policies in Post-Civil War Sri Lanka

Fazil¹,

Fowsar²,

Sakki³

et al. 2020

JPL

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This study aims to identify the factors preventing the state from responding in a manner that will avoid future conflict in post-civil war Sri Lanka. After the government ended the separatist struggle of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) by bringing the civil war to an end in May 2009, the protracted and destructive 30-year war presented an opportunity for both state and society to learn many useful lessons from the long war. These lessons could have enabled the government to reconstitute the state as an inclusive institution, one in which minorities could also participate to ensure just and equitable development for all Sri Lankans. This study uses a qualitative research approach that involves analysis of critical categories. Findings of this study offer some crucial insights about Sri Lanka’s ethnic politics, particularly, the various factors have influenced the state to avoid inclusive policies. The key factor is the dilemma of post-independent political culture or traditions amongst ruling elites resulted in the avoidance of inclusive policies. This study also reveals some other factors that contestations between different social forces within society, within the state, and between the state and society still prevail in Sri Lanka, hampering the institution of inclusive policies. Further, the paper highlights the failure of India and the International Community to pressurize the state of Sri Lanka to introduce inclusive mechanisms due to international power balance (China factor).

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“…Subsequently, it turned into a war between the Government and the main Tamil movement, the LTTE. The LTTE had gained the upper hand over the other Tamil militant groups (Fazil, 2019a(Fazil, , 2019b(Fazil, & 2019c. This organization had set up an infrastructure so extensive and well supported with resources that it was able to endure and succeed in many battles against the superior military might of the Government.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Accommodating Minorities into Sri Lanka’s Post-Civil War State System: Government Initiatives and Their Failure

Fazil

Fowsar

Kamalasiri

et al. 2020

AJIS

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Many observers view the defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in May 2009 as a significant turning point in the protracted ethnic conflict that was troubling Sri Lanka. The armed struggle and the consequences of war have encouraged the state and society to address the group rights of ethnic minorities and move forward towards state reconstitution. The Tamil minority and international community expect that the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) must introduce inclusive policies as a solution to the ethnic conflict. They believe the state should take measures to avoid another major contestation through the lessons learned from the civil war. The study is a qualitative analysis based on text analysis. In this backdrop, this paper examines the attempts made for the inclusion of minorities into the state system in post-civil war Sri Lanka, which would contribute to finding a resolution to the ethnic conflict. The study reveals that numerous attempts were made at various periods to introduce inclusive policies to achieve state reconstitution, but those initiatives failed to deliver sustainable peace. The study also explores problems pertaining to contemporary policy attempts.

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Migdal’s Theory of the State-in-Society in the Context of Sri Lanka: A Critical Review

Cited by 3 publications

References 3 publications

Muslim Minority in Post-war Sri Lanka: A Case Study of Aluthgama and Digana Violences

Muslim Minority in Post-war Sri Lanka: A Case Study of Aluthgama and Digana Violences

State Reluctance towards Inclusive Policies in Post-Civil War Sri Lanka

Accommodating Minorities into Sri Lanka’s Post-Civil War State System: Government Initiatives and Their Failure

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