Publication

This paper suggests that while Buddhist religiosity in Sri Lanka has historically been linked to state power, the substance and form of public Buddhism has been reconfigured so as to legitimize Sinhala Buddhist majoritarianism. The author argues that processes of democratization have given rise to this majoritarianism and concomitant marginalization of ethno-religious 'others' such as Tamils and Christians. The paper concludes that for sustainable peace, the highly centralized state needs to devolve power to the northeast regions and share political power with the minorities.