Asset Details
Do you wish to reserve the book?
Examining relationships between religious and linguistic nationalism in a recent controversy surrounding the Sri Lankan national anthem
Hey, we have placed the reservation for you!
By the way, why not check out events that you can attend while you pick your title.
Oops! Something went wrong.
Looks like we were not able to place the reservation. Kindly try again later.
Are you sure you want to remove the book from the shelf?
Examining relationships between religious and linguistic nationalism in a recent controversy surrounding the Sri Lankan national anthem
Do you wish to request the book?
Examining relationships between religious and linguistic nationalism in a recent controversy surrounding the Sri Lankan national anthem
Please be aware that the book you have requested cannot be checked out. If you would like to checkout this book, you can reserve another copy
We have requested the book for you!
Your request is successful and it will be processed during the Library working hours. Please check the status of your request in My Requests.
Oops! Something went wrong.
Looks like we were not able to place your request. Kindly try again later.
Journal Article
Examining relationships between religious and linguistic nationalism in a recent controversy surrounding the Sri Lankan national anthem
2022
Overview
Purpose
This paper aims to explore the relationship between religious and linguistic nationalism in Sri Lanka in the context of the controversy on singing the national anthem in Tamil during National Independence Day celebrations. It illuminates how language and religious policy work together to maintain Sinhala–Buddhist hegemony and exclude Tamil speakers as second-class citizens in postcolonial Sri Lanka.
Design/methodology/approach
The examination of the anthem controversy includes language and religious policy documents, newspaper articles and YouTube videos.
Findings
The national anthem as a site of struggle is a powerful case to explore how nation-states’ actors mobilize affect, intertwining ideologies on language, religion, ethnicity, geography, and so on to maintain and reinforce dominance over minoritized groups. Therefore, the authors believe that (singing) the national anthem can be a site of study for language policy.
Research limitations/implications
The authors acknowledge that the data used in this study are only in Sinhala and English and identify the need for further research using data sources in Tamil.
Originality/value
While this paper generally contributes to the scholarly dialogues on religion and language, it also sheds light on understanding politics in Sri Lanka. Finally, the authors propose that any meaningful policy implementation efforts toward achieving linguistic justice in Sri Lanka need to include parallel policy changes that promote equality among religions.
