Historical Perspective of Gender Typed Participation in the Performing Arts in Sri Lanka During the Pre- Colonial, The Colonial Era, and the Post- Colonial Eras

Abstract

When the Sri Lankan performing art was analysed, a clear-cut difference in gender-typed participation in dancing, singing, playing music, and the traditional rituals (such as Shanthi karma) can be identified. Furthermore, this research has found that gender roles in performance have evolved through time. It can be seen how the existence of -Hindu- Buddhist practices from Vijaya’s arrival to Sri Lanka in 543 BCE to the period of Portuguese who conquered Sri Lanka in 1505 CE takes a new facet in the colonial period and the post-colonial period blending with the European concepts. It can be analysed as follows, First, the changes occurred in masculinity, femininity, or the concepts of Tandava, and Lasya, then the rituals relating to concepts of Divinity in the pre-colonial period, then the changing constructs and perspectives regarding gender performances in the colonial period and the gender shifts and gender synthesis in the post-colonial period.