Performing Intra-Cultural Identities at the Shared Space of the Ruhunu Katharagama Asala Perahera Procession

Abstract

This research paper discusses the complexity of performing, emphasising one’s traditional arts and belongings to claim and represent one's cultural capital or to meet the stereotypical anticipations of ‘others’ in shared cultural spaces, particularly in the context of sociocultural parades. This research also briefly delves into how the dynamics of disempowerment and empowerment of subcultures affect representing identities in shared spaces. It employs archival observations to analyse the Ruhunu Katatharagama Dewala Asala Perehera procession in Sri Lanka. In particular, the study exemplifies the representation of the identities of the contributing sub-cultures ethnic communities and performance groups of Sri Lanka through their residual, modified and stereotypical cultural performances including the performances by Sinhala, Tamil and Indigenous communities representing Buddhist, Hindu, and other religious beliefs and ideologies.