Buddhism Betrayed?: Religion, Politics, and Violence in Sri Lanka / Edition 2

by Stanley Jeyaraja Tambiah

Overview

This volume seeks to answer the question of how the Buddhist monks in today's Sri Lanka—given Buddhism's traditionally nonviolent philosophy—are able to participate in the fierce political violence of the Sinhalese against the Tamils.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780226789507
Publisher:	University of Chicago Press
Publication date:	07/15/1992
Series:	Monograph of the World Institute for Development Economics Research (Wider) of the United Nations University Series
Edition description:	1
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

S. J. Tambiah is professor of anthropology at Harvard University.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Lal Jayawardena
Acknowledgments
Abbreviations
1. Introduction: The Question
2. The Period of Buddhist Revivalism, 1860-1915
3. Politics and Constitutional Progress, 1915-1946
4. Radical Monks and the Legitimation of Monks' Participation in Politics
5. The Betrayal and Restoration of Buddhism: Accusations and Remedies
6. The Betrayal of Buddhism: Report of the Committee of Inquiry
7. The Social Revolution of 1956 and Its Aftermath
8. The Restoration of Buddhism and the Transformation of Education in the 1960s and 1970s
9. The 1970s and 1980s: The Deepening Crisis
10. The Mavbima Surakime Vyaparaya (MSV): The Movement for the Protection of the Motherland
11. Monks and Violence Face to Face
12. The Parameters of Buddhist Nationalism and Buddhist Democracy
13. Epilogue: Sinhalese Identity: The Legacy of the Past
Appendix: Testing Some Charges in The Betrayal of Buddhism
References
Index

Editorial Reviews

For the benefit of general readers, both inside and outside of academia, who have put all their peace and freedom eggs in the Buddhist basket, Tambiah (professor of anthropology and curator of South Asian ethnology at the Peabody Museum at Harvard U.) probes the extent to which, and the manner in which, Buddhism, as a espoused by Sri Lankans of the late 19th and the 20th centuries, has contributed to the current ethnic conflict and collective violence in Sri Lanka. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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