How would you try to ‘do’ history in a context like Sri Lanka that has too much history and never... more How would you try to ‘do’ history in a context like Sri Lanka that has too much history and never enough justice for violence and impunity? This paper suggests that you may find yourself at the mercy of ‘demons, ghosts, and malevolent beings’ who have concluded that [insert suitable ghostly pronoun here] should just ‘do’ history themselves. Using the form of a ghost story and a 2nd person narrative voice, you will find here a discussion on silencing, accountability, and violence that explores how centring the demands of the dead for justice might influence historical practice more broadly in a space like Sri Lanka.
Drawing inspiration from Ian Hacking's claim that new modes of description generate new possibili... more Drawing inspiration from Ian Hacking's claim that new modes of description generate new possibilities for action, this essay explores the impact of changes to the mode of description through the 1901 Census in Ceylon. It begins by exploring the modes of description used in the censuses prior to 1901 to demonstrate that in Ceylon, the census was yet to emerge as the critical tool of colonial governance claimed by dominant scholarship around colonial census taking. This leads to an exploration of how the changes that Sir Ponnambalam Arunachalam, the first Ceylonese Census superintendent, made to the Census Ordinance, Census Manual, and Census Report impacted the function of the census as a mode of description. It then explores the possibilities for action generated by these changes in the mode of description, paying particular attention to the ways in which the census shaped elite, indigenous activism leading to the first major reforms of the colonial governance structure in Ceylon, including the introduction of limited franchise. Thus, Ceylon's 1901 Census affords a unique opportunity to examine the impact that shifts in modes of description have on possibilities for action.
How would you try to ‘do’ history in a context like Sri Lanka that has too much history and never... more How would you try to ‘do’ history in a context like Sri Lanka that has too much history and never enough justice for violence and impunity? This paper suggests that you may find yourself at the mercy of ‘demons, ghosts, and malevolent beings’ who have concluded that [insert suitable ghostly pronoun here] should just ‘do’ history themselves. Using the form of a ghost story and a 2nd person narrative voice, you will find here a discussion on silencing, accountability, and violence that explores how centring the demands of the dead for justice might influence historical practice more broadly in a space like Sri Lanka.
The Reinhart-Rogoff controversy shows us why we need to re-examine the relationship between scien... more The Reinhart-Rogoff controversy shows us why we need to re-examine the relationship between scientific inquiry and society.
This paper argues for the value of re-visiting early debates regarding the role of language studi... more This paper argues for the value of re-visiting early debates regarding the role of language studies in a ‘local’ university setting as a way of revisioning the task of a Department of Language Studies in the 21st Century. I draw on Lisa Lowe’s theorization of “past conditional temporalities” to view key points in these debates as moments as in which multiple conditions of possibility for language studies were open yet not fully settled. Following Lowe, I point to the value of paying productive attention to these moments to reimagine the scope for a Department of Language Studies today. To do this, I use an analysis of historical sources such as Sessional Papers, speeches and writings as well as literature relating to the development of a university for Ceylon/ Sri Lanka. I begin by mapping the vision for language studies in the university that was articulated by two of the early advocates for a local university – Sir Ponnambalam Arunachalam and Sir Ananda K. Coomaraswamy. I then attempt to follow how this vision for language studies took shape within the institutional structures of the precursor to the first Ceylonese university, the Ceylon University College which was in operation from 1921 to 1942. Finally, I explore the slow foreclosure of these multiple conditions of possibility through a decision made to make Sinhala the primary medium of instruction for the university in 1956. I end by drawing attention to how the many possibilities for creative and stimulating engagements between languages that were envisioned during the period under review can be useful starting points for revisioning the task of a language studies Department today.
Andi Schubert and Vagisha Gunasekera reflect on Vijay’s relationship with the law. In keeping wit... more Andi Schubert and Vagisha Gunasekera reflect on Vijay’s relationship with the law. In keeping with this Issue’s theme of Law Reform, Schubert and Gunasekera discuss how law reform captured Vijay’s attention with his belief that law and law reform are inevitably limited unless they centre rather than marginalize the needs of the least powerful members of our societies.
A response to Zainab Ibrahim & Jayanti Kuru-Utumpala's review of Donald Jayantha's 2016 film Maya... more A response to Zainab Ibrahim & Jayanti Kuru-Utumpala's review of Donald Jayantha's 2016 film Maya (starring Ranjan Ramanayake & Pubudu Chathuranga)
This paper examines the relationship between death and the radical promises of accountability, Ru... more This paper examines the relationship between death and the radical promises of accountability, Rule of Law, and good governance that undergirded the Yahapalana movement. Focusing on three deaths that were crucial to the trajectory of the new government -- Wasim Thajudeen, Seya Sadewmi, and the Ven. Maduluwawe Sobitha Thera - this paper explores the necropolitical considerations shaping the post-January 8th government in Sri Lanka. By mapping political conversations about corpses, this paper asks us to consider how the question of life and death has become central to the attempt to consolidate power after the January 8th Presidential election in Sri Lanka.
This paper explores the complex relationship between local knowledge and the processes of transla... more This paper explores the complex relationship between local knowledge and the processes of translation when Sri Lanka was under British rule. Towards this end, it examines the staging of Kuveni in Edward Upham (1833), George Turnour (1837), and Wilhelm Geiger’s (1912) translations of The Mahawamsa. Focusing on discrepancies in the representation of Kuveni, this paper argues that rather than anomalies, these shifting portrayals map changing colonial concerns about local knowledge. Given the importance of Vijaya to the mythos of nationalism in Sri Lanka, the focus on Kuveni provokes a re-examination of the epistemic anxieties shaping the trajectories of postcolonial nationalism(s) today.
There has been a noticeable increase in the discourse on the cultural life of the Muslim communit... more There has been a noticeable increase in the discourse on the cultural life of the Muslim community in Sri Lanka over the past few months, much of it driven by the emergence of a few hardline nationalist groups such as the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) and Sinhala Ravaya. The latest campaign among these groups seeks to ban the Abaya, a traditional dress worn by Muslim women. The language used by a member of the BBS in announcing their ban Abaya campaign raises questions about the gendered, discursive existence of hate speech. 1
The Reinhart-Rogoff controversy shows us why we need to reexamine the relationship between scient... more The Reinhart-Rogoff controversy shows us why we need to reexamine the relationship between scientific inquiry and society. In this short essay I seek to contribute to the debate about an influential paper that has been used to justify the implementation of austerity measures in debt-ridden countries. I attempt to raise a number of questions on the broader implications for knowledge that have been brought in to focus due to this debate. The debate in question surrounds a paper written by two internationally recognized scholars in the field of economics and debt in particular who live and work in the United States. Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff's original paper titled " Growth in a Time of Debt " has been widely used as crucial evidence by advocates calling for austerity measures as a means of stimulating growth in countries with high levels of debt (in economic terms high debt-to-GDP ratios) (Reinhart and Rogoff 2010). Although widely used by pro-austerity measure advocates, Reinhart and Rogoff's paper had received a great deal of criticism from other economists and analysts. i However, in spite of this criticism and numerous attempts to justify their findings, Reinhart and Rogoff's data had not been made publicly available. That was until Thomas Herndon, a graduate student at the University of Massachusetts, wrote and obtained the data set used by Reinhart and Rogoff. When he examined the data set he found that the data used by Reinhart and Rogoff, contained a number of significant flaws including the selective exclusion of important data, an unconventional data weightage process as well as a coding error in the excel spreadsheet that results in excluded data. These findings along with their implications for the work of Reinhart and Rogoff were published recently (Herndon, Ash and Pollin 2013). There has been widespread discussion and debate on these findings in academic and journalistic circles, and some have even go so far as to say that, the flaws in the computing and analysis of this data has a significant impact on the scope and validity of the claims made by Reinhart and Rogoff. ii The focus in many of the debates on these findings has been on the economic and policy fallouts from the austerity measures that have been implemented in a number of countries in Europe.
Much of the focus and discussion on reconciliation in Sri Lanka both internationally and locally ... more Much of the focus and discussion on reconciliation in Sri Lanka both internationally and locally has tended to centre around the work and findings of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC). However, many analysts have pointed out that Sri Lanka's trajectory towards reconciliation after nearly three decades of war appears to be moving rather slowly. In seeking answers to this dilemma this paper turns away from the LLRC and instead analyses the postwar discourse of Mahinda Rajapaksa, the President of Sri Lanka in order to understand the concerns and dynamics shaping Sri Lanka's postwar reconciliation agenda. This paper uses two texts or utterances by President Rajapaksa — his speech to Parliament on 19 May 2009 announcing the end of the war and the President's election manifesto (Mahinda Chintanaya 2010: Vision for the Future) for the 2010 Presidential Election as the basis of its analysis. The President's discourse is analysed through the intersections and negotiations between the identities of perpetrator, victim and victor. The paper finds that the President constructs the LTTE as the sole perpetrator of the conflict in Sri Lanka but discursively constructs the possibility of three victims — the collective body, the Tamils as special victims and the Sinhalese as the real victims of the LTTE. These constructions intersect with the construction of the State as a helpless/weak/magnanimous victor which achieved victory in the face of incredible odds. However, these identities are premised on the need to affirm the possibility as well as the impossibility of the presence of the LTTE in postwar Sri Lanka. As a result I argue that Sri Lanka's postwar reconciliation agenda reflects the inherent contradictions of representing these opposing positions and identities simultaneously. Andi Schubert is the founder and coordinator of the Young Researchers' Collective, an initiative working to mentor and support the research and development of young researchers in Sri Lanka. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) Degree in English Language and Literature from the University of Kelaniya in 2010. His research interests are interdisciplinary and deeply rooted in cultural studies and critical discourse analysis. He is particularly interested in the analysis of discourses of identity and how it impacts on and influences attempts at reconciliation in postwar countries.
How would you try to ‘do’ history in a context like Sri Lanka that has too much history and never... more How would you try to ‘do’ history in a context like Sri Lanka that has too much history and never enough justice for violence and impunity? This paper suggests that you may find yourself at the mercy of ‘demons, ghosts, and malevolent beings’ who have concluded that [insert suitable ghostly pronoun here] should just ‘do’ history themselves. Using the form of a ghost story and a 2nd person narrative voice, you will find here a discussion on silencing, accountability, and violence that explores how centring the demands of the dead for justice might influence historical practice more broadly in a space like Sri Lanka.
Drawing inspiration from Ian Hacking's claim that new modes of description generate new possibili... more Drawing inspiration from Ian Hacking's claim that new modes of description generate new possibilities for action, this essay explores the impact of changes to the mode of description through the 1901 Census in Ceylon. It begins by exploring the modes of description used in the censuses prior to 1901 to demonstrate that in Ceylon, the census was yet to emerge as the critical tool of colonial governance claimed by dominant scholarship around colonial census taking. This leads to an exploration of how the changes that Sir Ponnambalam Arunachalam, the first Ceylonese Census superintendent, made to the Census Ordinance, Census Manual, and Census Report impacted the function of the census as a mode of description. It then explores the possibilities for action generated by these changes in the mode of description, paying particular attention to the ways in which the census shaped elite, indigenous activism leading to the first major reforms of the colonial governance structure in Ceylon, including the introduction of limited franchise. Thus, Ceylon's 1901 Census affords a unique opportunity to examine the impact that shifts in modes of description have on possibilities for action.
How would you try to ‘do’ history in a context like Sri Lanka that has too much history and never... more How would you try to ‘do’ history in a context like Sri Lanka that has too much history and never enough justice for violence and impunity? This paper suggests that you may find yourself at the mercy of ‘demons, ghosts, and malevolent beings’ who have concluded that [insert suitable ghostly pronoun here] should just ‘do’ history themselves. Using the form of a ghost story and a 2nd person narrative voice, you will find here a discussion on silencing, accountability, and violence that explores how centring the demands of the dead for justice might influence historical practice more broadly in a space like Sri Lanka.
The Reinhart-Rogoff controversy shows us why we need to re-examine the relationship between scien... more The Reinhart-Rogoff controversy shows us why we need to re-examine the relationship between scientific inquiry and society.
This paper argues for the value of re-visiting early debates regarding the role of language studi... more This paper argues for the value of re-visiting early debates regarding the role of language studies in a ‘local’ university setting as a way of revisioning the task of a Department of Language Studies in the 21st Century. I draw on Lisa Lowe’s theorization of “past conditional temporalities” to view key points in these debates as moments as in which multiple conditions of possibility for language studies were open yet not fully settled. Following Lowe, I point to the value of paying productive attention to these moments to reimagine the scope for a Department of Language Studies today. To do this, I use an analysis of historical sources such as Sessional Papers, speeches and writings as well as literature relating to the development of a university for Ceylon/ Sri Lanka. I begin by mapping the vision for language studies in the university that was articulated by two of the early advocates for a local university – Sir Ponnambalam Arunachalam and Sir Ananda K. Coomaraswamy. I then attempt to follow how this vision for language studies took shape within the institutional structures of the precursor to the first Ceylonese university, the Ceylon University College which was in operation from 1921 to 1942. Finally, I explore the slow foreclosure of these multiple conditions of possibility through a decision made to make Sinhala the primary medium of instruction for the university in 1956. I end by drawing attention to how the many possibilities for creative and stimulating engagements between languages that were envisioned during the period under review can be useful starting points for revisioning the task of a language studies Department today.
Andi Schubert and Vagisha Gunasekera reflect on Vijay’s relationship with the law. In keeping wit... more Andi Schubert and Vagisha Gunasekera reflect on Vijay’s relationship with the law. In keeping with this Issue’s theme of Law Reform, Schubert and Gunasekera discuss how law reform captured Vijay’s attention with his belief that law and law reform are inevitably limited unless they centre rather than marginalize the needs of the least powerful members of our societies.
A response to Zainab Ibrahim & Jayanti Kuru-Utumpala's review of Donald Jayantha's 2016 film Maya... more A response to Zainab Ibrahim & Jayanti Kuru-Utumpala's review of Donald Jayantha's 2016 film Maya (starring Ranjan Ramanayake & Pubudu Chathuranga)
This paper examines the relationship between death and the radical promises of accountability, Ru... more This paper examines the relationship between death and the radical promises of accountability, Rule of Law, and good governance that undergirded the Yahapalana movement. Focusing on three deaths that were crucial to the trajectory of the new government -- Wasim Thajudeen, Seya Sadewmi, and the Ven. Maduluwawe Sobitha Thera - this paper explores the necropolitical considerations shaping the post-January 8th government in Sri Lanka. By mapping political conversations about corpses, this paper asks us to consider how the question of life and death has become central to the attempt to consolidate power after the January 8th Presidential election in Sri Lanka.
This paper explores the complex relationship between local knowledge and the processes of transla... more This paper explores the complex relationship between local knowledge and the processes of translation when Sri Lanka was under British rule. Towards this end, it examines the staging of Kuveni in Edward Upham (1833), George Turnour (1837), and Wilhelm Geiger’s (1912) translations of The Mahawamsa. Focusing on discrepancies in the representation of Kuveni, this paper argues that rather than anomalies, these shifting portrayals map changing colonial concerns about local knowledge. Given the importance of Vijaya to the mythos of nationalism in Sri Lanka, the focus on Kuveni provokes a re-examination of the epistemic anxieties shaping the trajectories of postcolonial nationalism(s) today.
There has been a noticeable increase in the discourse on the cultural life of the Muslim communit... more There has been a noticeable increase in the discourse on the cultural life of the Muslim community in Sri Lanka over the past few months, much of it driven by the emergence of a few hardline nationalist groups such as the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) and Sinhala Ravaya. The latest campaign among these groups seeks to ban the Abaya, a traditional dress worn by Muslim women. The language used by a member of the BBS in announcing their ban Abaya campaign raises questions about the gendered, discursive existence of hate speech. 1
The Reinhart-Rogoff controversy shows us why we need to reexamine the relationship between scient... more The Reinhart-Rogoff controversy shows us why we need to reexamine the relationship between scientific inquiry and society. In this short essay I seek to contribute to the debate about an influential paper that has been used to justify the implementation of austerity measures in debt-ridden countries. I attempt to raise a number of questions on the broader implications for knowledge that have been brought in to focus due to this debate. The debate in question surrounds a paper written by two internationally recognized scholars in the field of economics and debt in particular who live and work in the United States. Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff's original paper titled " Growth in a Time of Debt " has been widely used as crucial evidence by advocates calling for austerity measures as a means of stimulating growth in countries with high levels of debt (in economic terms high debt-to-GDP ratios) (Reinhart and Rogoff 2010). Although widely used by pro-austerity measure advocates, Reinhart and Rogoff's paper had received a great deal of criticism from other economists and analysts. i However, in spite of this criticism and numerous attempts to justify their findings, Reinhart and Rogoff's data had not been made publicly available. That was until Thomas Herndon, a graduate student at the University of Massachusetts, wrote and obtained the data set used by Reinhart and Rogoff. When he examined the data set he found that the data used by Reinhart and Rogoff, contained a number of significant flaws including the selective exclusion of important data, an unconventional data weightage process as well as a coding error in the excel spreadsheet that results in excluded data. These findings along with their implications for the work of Reinhart and Rogoff were published recently (Herndon, Ash and Pollin 2013). There has been widespread discussion and debate on these findings in academic and journalistic circles, and some have even go so far as to say that, the flaws in the computing and analysis of this data has a significant impact on the scope and validity of the claims made by Reinhart and Rogoff. ii The focus in many of the debates on these findings has been on the economic and policy fallouts from the austerity measures that have been implemented in a number of countries in Europe.
Much of the focus and discussion on reconciliation in Sri Lanka both internationally and locally ... more Much of the focus and discussion on reconciliation in Sri Lanka both internationally and locally has tended to centre around the work and findings of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC). However, many analysts have pointed out that Sri Lanka's trajectory towards reconciliation after nearly three decades of war appears to be moving rather slowly. In seeking answers to this dilemma this paper turns away from the LLRC and instead analyses the postwar discourse of Mahinda Rajapaksa, the President of Sri Lanka in order to understand the concerns and dynamics shaping Sri Lanka's postwar reconciliation agenda. This paper uses two texts or utterances by President Rajapaksa — his speech to Parliament on 19 May 2009 announcing the end of the war and the President's election manifesto (Mahinda Chintanaya 2010: Vision for the Future) for the 2010 Presidential Election as the basis of its analysis. The President's discourse is analysed through the intersections and negotiations between the identities of perpetrator, victim and victor. The paper finds that the President constructs the LTTE as the sole perpetrator of the conflict in Sri Lanka but discursively constructs the possibility of three victims — the collective body, the Tamils as special victims and the Sinhalese as the real victims of the LTTE. These constructions intersect with the construction of the State as a helpless/weak/magnanimous victor which achieved victory in the face of incredible odds. However, these identities are premised on the need to affirm the possibility as well as the impossibility of the presence of the LTTE in postwar Sri Lanka. As a result I argue that Sri Lanka's postwar reconciliation agenda reflects the inherent contradictions of representing these opposing positions and identities simultaneously. Andi Schubert is the founder and coordinator of the Young Researchers' Collective, an initiative working to mentor and support the research and development of young researchers in Sri Lanka. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) Degree in English Language and Literature from the University of Kelaniya in 2010. His research interests are interdisciplinary and deeply rooted in cultural studies and critical discourse analysis. He is particularly interested in the analysis of discourses of identity and how it impacts on and influences attempts at reconciliation in postwar countries.
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