Abstract
Positioning minority concerns within a power-sharing mechanism is a key issue that has been influential in Sri Lanka’s modern state-building process experimented from the later part of the colonial period. Throughout the post-independent era, most state-building projects were critically debated with regard to sharing political autonomy between the majority Sinhalese and the minorities. This study attempts to locate the claims and concerns of minorities seeking political autonomy in Sri Lanka’s state-building and power-sharing discourse. The study found that the state-building process in Sri Lanka has always been a struggle between establishing a majoritarian-ethno-nationalist hegemonic state system and preserving the right of minority ethnic groups to political power-sharing. The study further found that (a) insufficient emphasis given towards understanding power-sharing and federalism as a means to accommodate diverse interests and rights, including the political autonomy rights of minorities, (b) the opportunistic politics of opposition parties, and (c) the ethno-nationalist agenda of the majority Sinhalese were the major factors that have induced to undermine the minorities’ claims for political autonomy. The ultimate result of this is the continuous struggles by minorities to situate their political autonomy demands within Sri Lanka’s state-building and power-sharing discourse.
Highlights
One major area of concern in terms of accommodating rights and interests of minorities in post-colonial Sri Lanka is the country’s state-building projects, which have been widely contested and criticized
The continuous negligence of the minority leaders regarding their concerns for power-sharing and political autonomy compelled the minorities to search for alternative mechanisms; they mobilized for their own political liberation
Even though Sri Lankan society has long been a plural one in terms of ethnicity and religion, initially there were no struggles for political power between different groups; history reveals that both the ethnic majorities and the ethnic minorities lived together and ruled together
Summary
One major area of concern in terms of accommodating rights and interests of minorities in post-colonial Sri Lanka is the country’s state-building projects, which have been widely contested and criticized. The continuous negligence of the minority leaders regarding their concerns for power-sharing and political autonomy compelled the minorities to search for alternative mechanisms; they mobilized for their own political liberation. This led to an ethno-political conflict and a 30-year-long civil war. The end of civil war in Sri Lanka created hopes among minorities that their concerns towards power-sharing and political autonomy would be accommodated in the post-civil war democratization process. Minority Concerns and Claims for Political Autonomy in the State-Building Process
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
