First Ethnic Violence in Colonial Sri Lanka

Abstract

Sri Lanka was under the colonization of Europeans for 450 years. British ruled the country in the latter part of the colonization from 1796 to the following 152 years. Several protests were conducted by civilians against the colonial rule of Britain. Moreover, the first ethnic conflict in the country was started between Sinhalese and Muslims in Sri Lanka in 1915. This ethnic conflict laid foundation for the racial violence of the country. It is notable that several violence against minority ethnicities was carried out by the majority Sinhalese ethnicity following the first racial violence. Thus, the basis and the consequences of the first racial violence between Sinhalese and Muslims are studied.