There's a Devil on Wayamba Beach

Abstract

In this article we draw upon religious sermons, poetry and first-person accounts to show how rural Sri Lankans used localized meanings of security and sacrifice to mobilize against a project of national development. Using Victor Turner's concept of social drama and the idea that state officials and citizens relate as audiences of each others' actions, we bring the methodological lens of performance to the study of citizenship, development, and legitimacy. The authors find that people's attempt to transform everyday meaning into legitimate meaning forms a profound kernel in the process of making of state—society relations.