Kinship, Identity and Control in a Sri Lankan Muslim Village

Abstract

This paper examines how Sri Lankan villagers adapt to the indirect effects of globalization. Historically established local identities have become contested and challenged through global processes not explicitly visible at the village level. It is shown in this paper that the significant increase of capital into the economy has created two distinct leadership structures, has altered cultivation practices and labor relations, and has transformed kinship relations. In the traditional low-capital economy, villagers relied on reciprocal labor exchange for cultivation work, but many now are relying on wage labor; this has altered the relation between villagers from one based on reciprocity to one based on wages and contracts. The leadership structure of the village had earlier centered around the socio-moral role of hereditary mosque leaders; this is now being replaced by one based on knowledge of market dynamics and national political structures. The centrality of kinship is also being perceived as a social cost rather than a benefit. These fields of social relations are now contested, as villagers adopt traditional, modern and hybrid strategies in various situations. The dynamics of these processes and their effects on cultural precepts and practices are analyzed using Harrison White's theory of identity and control.