A History of War in the Post-colonial State

Abstract

Sri Lanka’s history of warfare is one of post-colonial political antagonism and majoritarian repression, political violence in pursuit of Tamil self-determination and a subsequent escalation in violence over the course of three decades that significantly transformed the relations between the state and the Tamils. That escalation was marked by the militarisation of the state and armed actors and an internationalisation of the conflict (Rasaratnam 2016, p. 5). The militarisation of the state and of the socio-political culture has had particular consequences in shaping the conflict and social relations, which will be discussed later in this chapter. Sinhala-Buddhist nationalism is examined here as a majoritarian nationalism that has been entwined with the very constitutional and political existence of the Sri Lankan state. That nationalism continuously reproduces the socio-political field along the lines of Sinhala supremacy and the marginalisation of minorities.