"One Culture - Many Perspectives" Understanding Cultural Diversity Through Rural Livelihoods A Reflection from the Rural Craft Communities in Kandy, Sri Lanka

2010 ◽  
pp. 45-58
Author(s):  
Chandima Dilhani Daskon
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Cultural Diversity ◽  
Rural Livelihoods

The Role of Music and Allied Arts in Public Writings on Cultural Diversity: “People of Sri Lanka”

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 93-100
Author(s):  
Gisa Jähnichen
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Cultural Diversity ◽  
South Asia ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Sri Lankan ◽  
Culturally Different ◽  
The World ◽  
Official Languages ◽  
The Way

The Sri Lankan Ministry of National Coexistence, Dialogue, and Official Languages published the work “People of Sri Lanka” in 2017. In this comprehensive publication, 21 invited Sri Lankan scholars introduced 19 different people’s groups to public readers in English, mainly targeted at a growing number of foreign visitors in need of understanding the cultural diversity Sri Lanka has to offer. This paper will observe the presentation of these different groups of people, the role music and allied arts play in this context. Considering the non-scholarly design of the publication, a discussion of the role of music and allied arts has to be supplemented through additional analyses based on sources mentioned by the 21 participating scholars and their fragmented application of available knowledge. In result, this paper might help improve the way facts about groups of people, the way of grouping people, and the way of presenting these groupings are displayed to the world beyond South Asia. This fieldwork and literature guided investigation should also lead to suggestions for ethical principles in teaching and presenting of culturally different music practices within Sri Lanka, thus adding an example for other case studies.

Comparative Theory and Political Practice: Do We Need a ‘State-Nation’ Model as Well as a ‘Nation-State’ Model?

2008 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alfred Stepan
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Cultural Diversity ◽  
State Policies ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Matched Pair ◽  
Political Integration ◽  
Type I ◽  
Nation State ◽  
Political Practice ◽  
Comparative Theory

AbstractSome polities have strong cultural diversity, some of which is territorially based and politically articulated by significant groups that, in the name of nationalism, and self-determination, advance claims for independence. In this article such polities are defined as ‘politically robustly multinational’. If the goal is peace and democracy in one state in such a polity, this article advances theoretical and empirical arguments to show that ideal typical ‘nation-state’ making policies are less appropriate than policies associated with new ideal type I construct called ‘state-nation’. Countries discussed are Spain, Belgium, and Canada and the ‘matched pair’ of successful Tamil political integration via state nation policies in India, and failed Tamil political integration due to nation-state policies in Sri Lanka.

scholarly journals Local Knowledge and Perspectives of Change in Homegardens: A Photovoice Study in Kandy District, Sri Lanka

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (17) ◽  
pp. 6866
Author(s):  
Rachel deHaan ◽  
Helen Hambly Odame ◽  
Naresh Thevathasan ◽  
Sarath P. Nissanka
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Rural Livelihoods ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
Daily Basis ◽  
Agroforestry Systems ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Crop Damage ◽  
Ecological Change ◽  
Traditional Agroforestry ◽  
Local Farmers

Kandyan homegardens are traditional agroforestry systems that exist to support rural livelihoods in Kandy District, Sri Lanka. These agro-ecosystems have been sustained over generations of socio-ecological change and are recognized today for their biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services. The main drivers of adaption and the sustainability of homegardens are the local farmers who manage them on a daily basis. However, despite being key stakeholders, local communities have seldom been included in research, especially through participatory approaches. This study utilized a participatory and visual method called photovoice to reveal the local perspectives and experiences of socio-ecological change as viewed by 24 Kandyan homegardeners. The results highlight visual documentation and narrative that publicly displayed farmers’ perspectives of their current homegardening situation and the major challenges they face. The priorities for future conservation of homegardens include addressing wildlife conflict and crop damage, the lack of land to grow, and a decline in available labor and interest in agriculture, especially among younger household members. Our results indicate that the photovoice process allowed for rich, varied, and in-depth stories of the human-ecological relationship in homegardens to emerge. Consideration of these relationships and the knowledge of local communities are necessary for understanding socio-ecological change in homegardens, and key to sustainable development. Photovoice, we conclude, is a robust method for research in agroforestry systems that can effectively engage local farmers and produce participant-driven data that are potentially well suited to complement other methods for a more holistic approach to understanding homegardens.

scholarly journals Resilience Thinking and Strategies to Reclaim Sustainable Rural Livelihoods: Cascade Tank-Village System (CTVS) in Sri Lanka

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gavin Melles ◽  
Ethmadalage Dineth Perera
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Rural Development ◽  
Sustainable Livelihoods ◽  
Rural Livelihoods ◽  
Sustainable Livelihood ◽  
Resource Limitations ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
Resilience Thinking ◽  
Poor Access ◽  
Dry Zone

Cascading Tank Village Systems (CTVSs) of Sri Lanka historically provided a resilient community-based social-ecological water management system in the rural dryzone of Sri Lanka [1]. The CTVS has been described as the ‘lifeblood’ of communities in the rural dry zone [2] and as a globally important Agricultural Heritage System by the FAO [3]. After being abandoned for many centuries, their restoration is now being pursued by different national and international actors as a key to climate change mitigation and sustainable livelihoods for communities [4]. Rural livelihoods in the dry zone are at risk due to multiple factors, poor access and management of water, economic and health pressures, as well as resource limitations and degradation [5]. Despite recent efforts to restore CTVS systems, no social-ecological approach (SES) nor sustainable livelihoods framework (SLF) focused approach to ensuring resilient and sustainable livelihood outcomes has been taken [6]. As part of an on-going PhD project, this paper describes the background, current challenges and potential for an SES focused resilience thinking approach to CTVS combined with a focus on sustainable livelihoods for future sustainable livelihood opportunities and outcomes. The study finds current restoration efforts are at a crossroads between restoring the past (system adaptability) or transforming for the future. It introduces relevant SES and resilience thinking concepts and analyses the CTVS from this perspective. A particular contribution of this study is to point to the significant overlaps and complementarities in social-ecological (SES) resilience thinking and SLF approaches to analysis and proposals for resilient rural development. Employing resilience thinking principles it recommends strategies to create positive livelihood outcomes for communities and households. Keywords: cascading tank village system; sustainable livelihoods; resilience thinking; Sri Lanka; rural dry zone; community rural development

scholarly journals Resilience Thinking and Strategies to Reclaim Sustainable Rural Livelihoods: Cascade Tank-Village System (CTVS) in Sri Lanka

Challenges ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 27
Author(s):  
Gavin Melles ◽  
Ethmadalage Dineth Perera
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Sustainable Livelihoods ◽  
Rural Livelihoods ◽  
Future Market ◽  
Sustainable Livelihood ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
Resilience Thinking ◽  
Poor Access ◽  
Dry Zone ◽  
Complex Adaptive

Cascading Tank Village Systems (CTVSs) of Sri Lanka historically provided a resilient community-based social-ecological water management system in the rural dry zone of Sri Lanka After being abandoned for many centuries, their restoration is now being pursued by different national and international actors as a key to climate change mitigation and sustainable livelihoods for communities. Rural livelihoods in the dry zone are at risk due to multiple factors, poor access and management of water, economic and health pressures, as well as resource limitations and degradation. Despite recent efforts to restore CTVS systems, no social-ecological approach (SES) nor a sustainable livelihoods framework (SLF)-focused approach to ensuring resilient and sustainable livelihood outcomes has been taken. As part of an on-going PhD project, this paper analyses the background, current challenges and potential for an SES focused resilience thinking approach to CTVS for future sustainable livelihood opportunities and outcomes. The study finds CTVS exhibit all the properties of a complex adaptive SES and that a resilience thinking approach centred on achieving sustainable livelihood outcomes for communities suggests deep institutional changes are needed. CTVS are at a crossroads between restoring the past (system adaptability) or transforming for the future, and a combination of legacy and future market orientation seems the best solution.

scholarly journals Corporate Citizenship Behaviour and Rural Livelihoods: A Study on Multinational Corporations in Sri Lanka

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sachin Wijayasinghe
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Multinational Corporations ◽  
Developing Economies ◽  
Corporate Citizenship ◽  
Rural Livelihoods ◽  
Modern Technology ◽  
Policy Framework ◽  
Dairy Farmers ◽  
Local Authorities

Corporate citizenship seems a new conceptualization of the role of business in society. Disparity between rural and urban economy is growing and it is essential for multinational companies to address the issues benchmarking best practices. MNCs enter a nation with numerous guarantees but are they equipped for accomplishing objectives as a corporate citizen?  Although the role of MNCs on local firms has been measured at different industry levels, rural livelihood perspective is unkempt in developing economies. The study aims to identify the roles of MNCs in enhancing the rural livelihoods of the dairy farmers in Sri Lanka. The study was based on an exploratory approach, adopting a qualitative research design with a thematic data analysis. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews from twenty-five dairy farmers who were directly engaging with MNC subsidiaries operating in the rural community of Sri Lanka. The MNC has been able to enhance the rural livelihoods of the dairy farmers through generating of job opportunities and replacing conventional practices with modern technology, identifying the importance of knowledge management, understanding the value of quality, adhering to policies, standards and guidelines along with maintaining proper documentations and improving the return on invested capital. However, the MNC has failed to build strong relationships with local authorities and struggled to promote dairy farming as a main source of income. MNCs exercises in the developing context is still being contended and coordinating and compiling a policy framework with the local authorities could play a significant role in shaping the livelihoods of the dairy farmers.

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