scholarly journals Languages Speak Reconciliation: An Interdisciplinary Study on the Impact of National Language in Post War Reconciliation Sri Lanka

2022 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
pp. 665-679
Author(s):  
Aruna Jayathilaka ◽  
Thisiri Medagama ◽  
Udeshini Panadare ◽  
Prawardhani Menike
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Ethnic Groups ◽  
National Language ◽  
Sri Lankan ◽  
Huge Impact ◽  
Post War ◽  
Mixed Approach ◽  
National Languages ◽  
The Impact

The Role of National Language is endorsed in different contexts and it has triggered an inspirited debate within the Sri Lankan political history when its discriminatory nature policies marked a triumph of linguist nationalism. The recognition of the Sinhala language as the only National Language in Sri Lanka and its dominance, drifted both communities apart causing frustration and tension among ethnic groups, which have ultimately culminated in ethnic strife that lasted almost three decades. National Languages, hence wield as a sociopolitical tool that demands a balance among languages, recognition, and policies. Similarly, Sri Lanka, in its path to reconciliation also demands a balance among National Languages, policies, and its recognition among the communities. This study thus explores the Role of National Language in promoting social cohesion and coexistence among ethnic groups to achieve anticipated “Reconciliation” within Sri Lankan social fabric.  The paper draws upon a mixed approach employing qualitative methods, including in-depth interviews. Data were gathered from interviewing 20 undergraduates from the Faculty of Social Sciences and Languages at the Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka. Data were coded and analyzed using thematic analysis.   Findings revealed that the recognition of National languages in their due status will make a huge impact on fostering reconciliation within Sri Lankan Society. It is further not to be confused with the Link Language as a National Language since its duty in social integration is relatively limited in the cases where the understanding of cultural, traditional, and historical attributes of an ethnic community is more pronounced especially in grappling with attitudinal problems inherited within ethnic communities.

scholarly journals THE SUCCESS OF ETHNICALLY BASED POLITICAL PARTIES: CASE OF SRI LANKA

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 153-163
Author(s):  
Nirmali Wijegoonawardana
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Political Parties ◽  
Ethnic Groups ◽  
Electoral System ◽  
General Election ◽  
Sri Lankan ◽  
Political Actors ◽  
The North ◽  
Electoral Outcomes

Ethnic identities or policy interests; what influences the Sri Lankan voter the most? This analysis will be done providing particular attention to the case of Sri Lanka. The development in electoral outcomes in Sri Lanka provides an explicitly clear image of how, particular political parties obtain support from particular ethnic groups and in return serve the interest of particular groups. This study will be based on the results of the 1989 Parliamentary General Election and 2010 Parliamentary General Election samples, mainly in the North and East constituencies. The Sri Lankan ethnic conflict offers an overview of the role of political parties and political actors in the competitive electoral system in relation to a conflicting situation. Therefore, this paper will examine as to how, such parties obtain support from particular ethnic groups and thereby safeguard the interest of those groups. Furthermore, this paper will seek to analyze how the, obtaining of moderate support from another ethnic group provides the best outcome but it is insufficient to divert from the interest of the group who provides the greatest support. Hence, this paper attempts at deciphering the main factor as to why it is harder for an ethnic party once established to become multi-ethnic.

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.

scholarly journals COVID-19 Barometer: Social Opinion – What Do the Portuguese Think in This Time of COVID-19?

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Ana Rita Pedro ◽  
Ana Gama ◽  
Patrícia Soares ◽  
Marta Moniz ◽  
Pedro A. Laires ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Services ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
The People ◽  
Huge Impact ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Continue Monitoring

The COVID-19 pandemic brought new challenges to the global community, reinforcing the role of public health in society. The main measures to combat it had (and still have) a huge impact on the daily lives of citizens. This investigation aimed to identify and monitor the population’s perceptions about how it faced this period and the impact on health, well-being, and daily life. In this study, we describe the main trends observed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of mental health status, confidence in the capacity of the health services to respond to the pandemic, and the use of health services by participants. The online survey collected responses from 171,947 individuals ≥16 years of age in Portugal, over a period of 15 weeks that started on 21 March 2020. Participants could fill the questionnaire once or weekly, which enabled us to analyse trends and variations in responses. Overall, 81% of the respondents reported having felt agitated, anxious, or sad during the COVID-19 pandemic; 19% did not experience these feelings. During the confinement period, the proportion of participants feeling agitated, anxious, or sad every day/almost every day ranged between 20 and 30%, but since the deconfinement this proportion decreased. Around 30% reported having more difficulty getting to sleep or to sleep all night; 28.4% felt more agitated; 25.5% felt sadder, discouraged, or cried more easily; and 24.7% felt unable to do everything they had to do, women more frequently than men. Overall, 65.8% of the participants reported feeling confident or very confident in the health services’ capacity to respond to the challenges associated with the pandemic, and this confidence increased over time. Concerning the people who needed a consultation, 35.6% had one in person and 20.8% had one remotely, but almost 44% did not have one due to cancellation by the service (27.2%) or their own decision not to go (16.3%). At this unusual time in which we find ourselves and based on our findings, it is essential to continue monitoring how the population is facing the different phases of the pandemic until it officially ends. Analysing the effects of the pandemic from the point of view of citizens allows for anticipating critical trends and can contribute to preventative action.

Grasping at Straws: Judicial Review of Legislation in Sri Lanka

ICL Journal ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 281-306
Author(s):  
Danushka S Medawatte
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Transitional Justice ◽  
Judicial Review ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Executive Power ◽  
Sri Lankan ◽  
Legal Literature ◽  
Justice Process ◽  
Provincial Councils ◽  
The Impact

AbstractIn this paper, I attempt to examine the evolution of judicial review of legislation in Sri Lanka with a view to better understanding how it has impacted the democratic fabric and constitutional matrix of Sri Lanka. The impact that judicial review of legislation has had on rights jurisprudence, enhancement of democracy, prevention of persecution against selected groups are analysed in this paper in relation to the Ceylon Constitutional Order in Council of 1946 (‘Soulbury’ Constitution) and the two autochthonous constitutions of Sri Lanka of 1972 and 1978. The first part of the paper comprises of a descriptive analysis of judicial review of legislation under the three Constitutions. This is expected to perform a gap filling function in respect of the lacuna that exists in Sri Lankan legal literature in relation to the assessment of the trends pertaining to judicial review of legislation in Sri Lanka. In the second part of the paper, I have analysed decided cases of Sri Lanka to explore how the judiciary has responded to legislative and executive power, and has given up or maintained judicial independence. In this respect, I have also attempted to explore whether the judiciary has unduly engaged in restraint thereby impeding its own independence. The third part of the paper evaluates the differences in technique and stance the judiciary has adopted when reviewing draft enactments of the national legislature and when reviewing draft or enacted statutes of Provincial Councils. From a comparative constitutional perspective, this assessment is expected to provide the background that is essential in understanding the island nation’s current constitutional discourse, transitional justice process, and its approach to human rights.

scholarly journals Public policy, public utility and citizens: The impact of privatization

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Μαντώ Λαμπροπούλου (Manto Lampropoulou)
Keyword(s):  
Public Utility ◽  
Network Industries ◽  
Public Enterprises ◽  
Economic Implications ◽  
The Past ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
Post War ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Over the past two decades, utilities policy in Greece has been steadily shifting towards privatization and liberalization. This shift signified a critical reconsideration of the boundaries and the dynamics of the relationship between the state and the market in network industries. Public debate usually focuses on issues of ownership of public enterprises and economic performance. On the contrary, this book places the emphasis on the socio-economic implications of utilities policy for citizens. A key issue is the impact of privatization on the relationship between government (state), public enterprises (market) and citizens (society). The study covers the period from the post-war state monopolies to the current circumstances of mixed/private ownership of public enterprises and liberalized markets. The main questions addressed in this book are the following: What is the rationale (legitimization) for government intervention in the utilities sector? What are the politics of nationalization and privatization? How different policy contexts affect the institutional, organizational and regulatory framework of the utilities sector? Who are the key-stakeholders and policy actors? What is the role of citizens? What is the (re)distribution of utilities policy costs and benefits among stakeholders?

scholarly journals Oral Impact on Daily Performance (OIDP) scale for use in Sri Lankan Adolescents: a cross sectional modification and validation study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Uttara Amilani ◽  
Prasanna Jayasekara ◽  
Irosha R Perera ◽  
Hannah E Carter ◽  
Sameera Senanayake ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oral Health ◽  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Cultural Adaptation ◽  
Concurrent Validity ◽  
Stage Ii ◽  
Sri Lankan ◽  
Validity Assessment ◽  
Oral Impact ◽  
Bartlett’S Test ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Oral Health Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) measures play an important role in understanding subjective patient experiences in oral health care. The Oral Impact on Daily Performance (OIDP) scale is a validated OHRQoL tool that measures the impact and extent to which an individual’s daily activities may be compromised by their oral health. The aim of this study was to modify and validate a Sinhalese version of the OIDP for use in Sri Lankan adolescents. Methods Stage I involved cultural adaptation of the tool through translation and modification. Stage II involved the exploring factor structure and validity assessment. After translation and cultural adaptation, stage II was conducted among 220 students aged 15-19 in the Gampaha district, Sri Lanka. Participants completed the modified OIDP scale along with questions on self-reported perceived oral health problems and treatment need which were used to assesses the concurrent validity of the modified OIDP scale. Factorability was assessed by inspection of correlation matrix, Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin and Bartlett's Test of Sphericity as a measure of sampling adequacy. An exploratory factor analysis was carried out using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) method and factors were rotated using the oblimin method. Results The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure was 0.87 and Bartlett’s test of Sphericity was significant (p<0.001) Cronbach’s alpha was calculated as 0.88, indicating a high level of internal consistency of the modified OIDP scale. The PCA is produced two factors with Eigen values ranging from 1.12 to 4.40, explaining 70.0% of total variance. Concurrent validity was satisfactory as the OIDP score increased when the adolescents’ perceived oral health decreased. The final modified OIDP consists of eight self-reported items which assesses the impact severity of eight daily performances over past three months. Participant scores ranged from 0 to 24 out of a worst possible score of 40, and nearly 48% of the responders reported at least one impact during past three months. The most prevalent oral health impact related to chewing and enjoying foods, reported by 36.8% of respondents. Conclusion This study suggests that the modified OIDP scale has promising psychometric properties and is appropriate for use among adolescents in Sri Lanka.

scholarly journals The value of the national language of science (part no. 1)

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 189-208
Author(s):  
Oleg A. Donskikh
Keyword(s):  
National Culture ◽  
National Language ◽  
Greek Language ◽  
Ancient Greek ◽  
Language Of Science ◽  
History Of ◽  
National Languages ◽  
Fully Functioning ◽  
Science Part

The article examines the history of the formation of several languages of science – Ancient Greek, Sanskrit, Arabic and Latin - relating to the material of four languages and corresponding cultures. Several considerations are given in favor of the need to preserve the national languages of science. The stages of formation of languages of science in the system of culture are traced. There are two types of languages that are used by scientific communities: 1) languages that are rooted in the national culture and remain firmly linked with the natural language community; 2) languages that are reserved for performing a certain function, while in parallel, national languages are fully functioning in society. The first type includes the Greek and Arabic, the scientific languages of the second type are Sanskrit and Latin. The key role of the humanitarian, in particular poetic, philological and philosophical culture for the formation of the language of science is shown. Based on the material of the Ancient Greek language, the stages of its development over several centuries are traced, which resulted in such linguistic tools that allowed not only to use abstract conceptual concepts, but also to organize the vocabulary hierarchically, and this as a result allowed to form any needed generic chains. The importance of the appearance of impersonal texts that comes with collections of written documents alienated from a particular teacher is emphasized.

English and the Imagining of a Cosmopolitan City

2020 ◽  
pp. 71-98
Author(s):  
Christina P. Davis
Keyword(s):  
Social Mobility ◽  
National Language ◽  
Education Reforms ◽  
Sri Lankan ◽  
The Future ◽  
Upward Social Mobility ◽  
Language And Education ◽  
The City

Chapter 4 considers the role of English in how the Girls’ College grade 10 Tamil-medium students navigated inequalities in the school as a whole and the Tamil-medium stream and claimed status as cosmopolitan Kandy or Sri Lankan girls. The use of full English in the classroom risked making them seem uppity, but the girls skillfully used English-inflected Tamil to articulate desired identities and stake claims in the future. Despite their multilingualism, the girls’ identities as predominantly Tamil speakers shaped how they interacted in school and in their home and neighborhood settings. This chapter argues that while their representation of themselves as Kandy girls avoided ethnicity-based models of identity, inconsistent with ideologies present in the national language and education reforms, they did not view Kandy as ethnically integrated so much as associate the city with their potential for upward social mobility.

Understanding Societies in War

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul D. Escott
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Groups ◽  
Irregular Warfare ◽  
The South ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
The North ◽  
Role Of Women ◽  
Democratic Parties ◽  
The Impact

This chapter emphasizes the analysis of the wartime forces in both sections that affected unity or division. It raises questions about the roots of the large amount of internal violence or irregular warfare in the South. For the North, it probes the nature of nationalism and asks about that section’s social, political, and religious divisions. Factors affecting both the Republican and the Democratic Parties of the North deserve new attention, as do the role of women in both sections, ethnic groups in the North especially, and the impact of emancipation and racism.

The impacts of terrorism on risk perception and travel behaviour of the Dutch market: Sri Lanka as a case study

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rami K. Isaac ◽  
Annika Van den Bedem
Keyword(s):  
Risk Perception ◽  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Travel Behaviour ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Sri Lankan ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Managerial Implications ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This study aims to examine the impact of terrorism on risk perception and travel behaviour of the Dutch market towards Sri Lanka. Design/methodology/approach The research process involved an online self-administered method created with one of the leading research and web-based survey tools called Qualtrics. The questionnaire was filled in by 328 respondents. Findings Findings indicate that Sri Lankan is perceived to be a relatively safe destination. However, the likeliness of visiting the country is unlikely. The respondents with past travel experience (PTE) perceive Sri Lanka to be safer than those without PTE and are more likely to revisit. Male respondents have a higher safety perception of Sri Lanka than women. Most of the respondents see Sri Lanka as an attractive destination and would consider travelling there with children. Research limitations/implications The majority of the respondents are female and aged between 18 to 29 years old. The majority of the respondents’ children were already 19 or older and not accompanying their parents on holiday. This study has managerial implications for Sri Lanka’s tourism board that could work on developing a marketing strategy that focusses on promoting Sri Lanka as a safe destination in combination with all the other unique selling points. Originality/value To the best of author’s knowledge, no analysis has been so far published with a focus on the impact of terrorism on risk perception and attitudes of the Dutch tourist towards Sri Lanka. The aim of this paper is to close the existing gap in the literature and to provide valuable knowledge on the influence of terrorism on risk perception and attitudes of the Dutch tourists’ travel behaviour towards Sri Lanka as a destination.

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