PGIHS-RC 2017

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://ir.lib.pdn.ac.lk/handle/20.500.14444/4075

Browse

Now showing 1 - 20 of 58

The idea of “place” in a small place by Jamaica Kincaid and Toba Tek Singh by Sadat Hasan Manto
(University of Peradeniya, 2017-03-31) Amarasooriya, W.M.T.T.
The concern with place and displacement is a major characteristic of postcolonial literature. The colonized people suffer from alienation caused by colonization. Hence, many writers from former colonies highlight the significance of the sense of home and belonging. As explained in The Empire Writes Back, the gap which opens between the experience of place and the language available to describe it forms a classic and all pervasive feature of post-colonial texts. Place is significant in postcolonial texts, because the consequences of colonialism are discussed in some postcolonial texts through the effective use of the idea of place. Hence, the portrayal of “place” in A Small Place by Jamaica Kincaid and Toba Tek Singh by Sadat Hasan Manto will be studied in this paper. A Small Place is a story set in an island called Antigua. In this story, place is of the utmost importance because the story develops along with descriptions of the island. Through the descriptions, the authoress tries to compare the past situation of Antigua with its present situation. It is the place which shows how everything has changed with colonialism and the destruction caused by the colonial rulers. The authoress feels alienated in her homeland as the process of colonization has made the colonized displaced. Toba Tek Singh by Sadat Hasan Manto is a story about the ownership of land and the confusion created by the demarcation of India and Pakistan. The story is set in a lunatic asylum. The setting implies that the partition of India and Pakistan is not comprehensible even for the lunatics in the asylum. People find it difficult to comprehend this demarcation. Displacement causes inconvenience, both physical and mental. The narrative is used as evidence to prove the effective use of the theme of place. Place and displacement are of utmost importance in postcolonial literature. The contents of the story and the message of the story are directly linked with the place and the setting in some stories. The paper tries to explain the role that “place” plays in the above-mentioned narratives.
Effects of tourism on employment generation in Sri Lanka: an econometric application
(University of Peradeniya, 2017-03-31) Padmasiri, R.C.P.
Tourism has become the world’s largest industry and creator of jobs across national and regional economies. In Sri Lanka, tourism contributes to a large proportion of the national income and generates employment opportunities. Tourism creates direct, indirect, and induced employment in regional and national economies. Direct Employment refers to the type of employment provided in tourism facilities, such as accommodation, transport, entertainment, travel agents, management, finance, and health care. Indirect Employment covers the employment in other sectors that receives income from expenditure done in touristic relations. Induced Employment refers to the additional employment in economy arising from re-spending of the income which has been gained through direct and indirect employment methods. The multiplier effect of tourism plays an important role in the emergence of induced employment. In Sri Lanka, the ratio of jobs generated, both directly and indirectly, to the number of tourist arrivals for the year is 1:5.6. Due to increased arrivals and the use of new technology in tourism establishments, this ratio has increased to one job for every four arrivals. The research problem of the resent study: What are the effects of tourism on employment in Sri Lanka? There are no recent studies on this issue that uses the multiplier effect model for Sri Lanka. The objective of this study is to test whether there is a long-term effect of the tourism sector on employment according to the multiplier effect model. This paper also investigates the integrated relationship between tourism and employment in Sri Lanka for the period from 1970 to 2015. The data for all the variables were taken from annual reports of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka for the years from 1990 to 2015. This study utilizes ARDL bound test analysis, the long run model, and the error correction model to estimate the effect of tourism on employment. The ARDL bound test results show that there is a long run co integration relationship between the variables of tourism revenue and employment. The ARDL test results suggest that there is a positive, long run and simple relationship between the tourist revenue and employment. The results of the short run dynamic coefficients (ECM) show that tourism revenue has a positive, statistical and simple significant impact on employment in the short term and a fairly low speed of adjustment to equilibrium after a shock. These results suggest that tourism creates multiplier effect to generate employment in Sri Lanka.
Punch-marked coins and their contemporary counterfeits
(University of Peradeniya, 2017-03-31) Tharangani, K.W.C.; Senanayake, A.M.P.
The Punch-marked Coins impressed with various symbols on both flans are recognized as the earliest coins found in Sri Lankan coinage. The circulation period of Punchmarked Coins is ascribed to period between 3ʳᵈ century B.C. and 5ᵗʰ century A.C. In India, it is also identified as the earliest coins found in Indian coinage, and circulated from 6ᵗʰ century B.C. to 150 B.C. Several Punch-marked Coins collections and hoards were used for the research. The coin collections and hoards named Meerigama coin hoard, Jetavana collection, Jaffna Museum collection, University of Jaffna Museum collection, Professor Pushparatnam Collection and published catalogues were used for the study. There are two major objectives in this research. The first is to identify the origin of the coins and the second is to identify the chronology of the coins. The study was carried out using the methodology introduced by Gupta and Hardaker. The methodology was mainly applied to the coins which bear four or five obverse symbols. The majority of the coins could not be ascribed to any variety because of the lack of five major symbols on the obverse other than bankers’ marks with two or three official marks. Hence it is difficult to identify their variety and their series. Although a collection of coins was studied for the research, only a few of them were useful to identify their variety and series. It appears that the Punch-marked Coins found in Sri Lanka belong to imperial series, and they were found to be minted in Gangatic plain in Northern India. It seems that the coins have travelled a long journey from North India to Sri Lanka. Although they originally belong to an earlier date in India the coins found in Sri Lanka belong to significantly later date attested by contextual data. The coins that were studied have been minted using silver metal and silver plated copper. There are three types of coins in the collections. They are Punch-marked Coins of Northern Indian origin, the contemporary counterfeit coins and the silver ingots. The authors surmise that the silver ingots may be the first attempt to cast local coin types in Sri Lanka.
Ancient greek athletes: amateurs or professionals?
(University of Peradeniya, 2017-03-31) Ranasingha, K.G.B.B.
Until the 1970s, Olympic Games were only for amateurs and hence professionals were not allowed to participate. For, it was the Ancient Greek Olympics that they were constantly referring to when devising the above rule for the Olympics. With such a legacy, it is essential to clarify whether ancient Greek athletes were really amateurs or professionals. "Amateur athletics" is considered as a concept that was developed in the 19th century AD. "Amateur” is a French derivation of a Latin word amator, meaning ‘lover’. Thus, it is defined as ‘a lover of’ indicating someone who does something because he/she loves it. ‘Professional’ is someone who does something for money. These are the two extreme perspectives with which modern critics look at both modern Olympic athletes and ancient Greek athletes, trying to categorize them as either amateurs or as professionals. Going through the legacy of athletics in ancient Greece it is obvious that they were not either amateurs or professionals. It is apparent, that at an initial stage the geographical division of Greece has marked it an essential necessity for them to engage in athletics, further, the double motive of religion and sport, their epic models and legendary heroes have further inspired the agonistic spirit of the whole nation to crave for honors and personal distinction through athletic prowess. Later, we also see that ancient Greeks treat athletics as an essential component of their traditional education system. Moreover, the reception of the society on victors of athletic games and the immortalization of athletes through sculptures and art would have obviously induced the contemporary and future athletes of ancient Greece. Thus, more than their love for the athletics it is the geography, religion, society and their agonistic spirit which made them athletes. In conclusion, this study shows that Greeks were neither amateur athletes nor professional athletes since they did not have such idea of praising only the virtues of uncompensated athletes. Hence, the ancient Greeks were simply athletes in a setting where honour along with winning of a valuable prize was considered as an important part of being an athlete.
The archaeological landscape of the early iron age burial site: Ihala Kalawella Ulpatha and its environs in Anuradhapura district, Sri Lanka
(University of Peradeniya, 2017-03-31) Jayaratne, D.K.; Jayaratne, D.Kumara
The Early Iron Age burial site of Ihala Kalawella Ulpatha is located within Waya Ulpatha Grama Niladhari division in the Palugaswewa Divisional Secretariat of the Anuradhapura District in the North Central Province of Sri Lanka. The objective in this research paper is to examine the pattern of the archaeological evidence scattered in the Ihala Kalawella Ulpatha and its environs. The methodology of this research is fourfold. First, a literature survey was carried out to understand the settlement history of the study area. Second, information on the physical and cultural landscape of the study area was obtained through a cartographic survey. Third, a field survey using exploration methods was used to retrieve data from the field. Pedestrian survey method is the primary exploration method used in the field survey. Eye observation is a vital data retrieval method to examine the archaeological data from the field. Fourth step of the methodology contains remote sensing approaches. The Global Positioning System (Magellan GPS receiver) and Geographic Information System (ArcGIS 10.3) software were used to obtain the absolute locations of the sites in the study area and analyse and interpret the spatial locational significances of the Ihala Kalawella Ulpatha and its vicinity. Approximately 1256 ha of physical area was examined in detail by the pedestrian survey for this purpose. Spatial analysis helped identify two main ancient settlement clusters in the location. Artefacts related to the cluster No. 01 showed more ancient evidences than the cluster No. 02. The settlement Cluster No. 01 is located in the vicinity of the Ihala Kalawella Ulpatha burial site which contains 28 cist burials. The results of the present study proved that the study area represents evidence from prehistory to late historical periods. Archaeological morphology of evidence attests that majority of them are related to the Early Iron Age Period. This region can be considered a continuous attractive region for the ancient inhabitants from prehistory to late historical periods.
Similarities and significance of the first Sri Lankan novel in Sinhala and Tamil
(University of Peradeniya, 2017-03-31) Lareena, A.H.
Novel is a very important genre in literature. In Sri Lanka the first Tamil novel “HasanBay Sariththiram” was written by M.C. Siddi Lebbe in 1895 while the first Sinhala novel “Meena” was written by Simon De Silva in 1905. M.C. Siddi Lebbe (1838-1898) was one of the pioneer Muslim scholars during the 19ᵗʰ century, who contributed a lot to reform the Muslim society. Also, Aluthgamage Simon De Silva (1876-1920) was one of the prominent writers, who also contributed to Sinhala Buddhist renaissance through his writings at the time. ‘Hasan Bay Sariththiram’ is a story of a young pious Muslim youth Hassan, who is kidnapped from his parents and adopted by a couple, who did not know the real story of his birth. Hasan fell in love with an English lady Falin and the story describes how his adventurous life come to a joyful end with finding out his real parents and getting married to his lover. The first Sinhala novel ‘Meena’ is also a simple love story by Simon Silva, that focuses on the inner workings of the heroine’s mind, revealing a gift for character development, and bears other characteristics of the novel as a genre. While having the same historical, social and cultural background in Sri Lanka, how the two pioneer novelists created their first novels so innovatively, especially the creation of characters, how ‘Thousand and One Nights’ stories may have influenced both of these novels and how the first novels impact on Sri Lankan literary field in both languages? These are very important questions to rise. Although this paper takes in to account of those questions, it mainly focuses on the similarities and the significance of above novels. According to Liyanage Amarakeerthi, “the major challenge that the pioneer novelists faced in that period of time was, to make the readers familiar with the new literary genre” (2008:314) while W.A. Silva addressed that “Sinhalese language is not yet developed to write ‘Novel’ and it is necessary to format the language” (Swadesa Mithraya: 26.03.1930). On other hand Martin Wickramasinghe (1992:58) and Chandrasiri Palliyaguru (27.03.2012) argued that the Sinhalese readers are already familiar with ‘Prabandha Khath’ through ‘Umagda Jathakaya’ etc. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the core fact in between these statements. Moreover, Ediriweera Sarathchandra pointed out that the first Sinhala novel has been influenced by both Thousand and One Nights stories and “Ramayana” (1951:43,59). Hence, it is important to see how much they were influenced by them simultaneously in order to identify the aspects of originality of the native soil. This research is conducted by using comparative and theoretical analysis methods.
Reconceptualising sacred city meanings: contemporary understanding of the sacred city of Anuradhapura
(University of Peradeniya, 2017-03-31) Rajapakshe, A.
According to the dominant Western view, the heritage space is only a quantitative reality than a qualitative and symbolic truth and leaves little room for conserving the sacredness and livingness of a place. One wonderful feature of historical religious past sites in Sri Lanka is that they are the result of a living religious tradition. This study investigates by way of adopting qualitative study techniques including literature survey, observations, stakeholder interviews and case studies, as to how far the implication of the World heritage designation and the global grammar of heritage conservation has affected conserving the living sacred heritage identity of the Sacred City of Anuradhapura. Over the past four decades (1977-2017) practice and policy implementation in terms of planning, management and conservation of world heritage sites in Sri Lanka have proven the difficulty of attaining sustainability by reconciling living sacred heritage conservation with community needs. Inside the Sri Lankan cultural context heritage places have evolved reflecting the physical and emotional interactions related to social and cultural processes. Subsequently, Sri Lankan sacred cities are not just physical conglomerates that have been built as an ensemble, but have a kind of archetypal reality. Therefore, it is suggested that living heritage conservation should be considered as a vehicle for capturing and nurturing the way that the community understand and connect with heritage and in the long run makes contributions to the continuity and long-term sustainability. The associated cultural community ought to be given the opportunity to practice what they believe and perceive is their right. This study revealed that archaeology-based, material-centric conservation approaches of both Jetavana and Abhayagiri stupas of the Central Cultural Fund have ended up with the disturbing ‘spirit of place’ and keeping apart community rights from their sensitive sacred heritage places. Consequently, this research raises a couple of issues regarding the disparity among authoritative substances primarily based conservation practices and related cultural network desires. In Sri Lankan cultural context, holding the sacred background is dynamic, emerging and largely a cultural and social process. It is constantly created, maintained and modified by associated people and their belief systems. That is the key point to be considered in conserving and keeping the sacred background. It is, therefore, taking truly associated community as the primary anchor, we argue that many of the issues and complexities associated with Sri Lankan living sacred heritage management and conservation can be better understood and context-sensitively addressed to a greater extent.
Lady philosophy against the muses: a philological reading of Boethius’ de consolatione philosophiae
(University of Peradeniya, 2017-03-31) Ekanayake, S.W.
The conflict between Art and Philosophy, where the philosopher challenged and ultimately claimed the poet’s position as the educator of the society, played a predominant role in the field of Greco-Roman literary criticism. Here, the philosopher pointed out two fundamental issues regarding art. On the one hand, Art is far removed from reality. On the other hand, it shrouds the mind from the truth. Such a view found its fullest expression in Plato’s dismissal of all imitative art. However, manifestations of this idea in different degrees are to be found in many classical Greek and Latin literary works. In such a context, the present research has explored certain reflections of this conflict in Boethius’ De Consolatione Philosophiae and its role in the wider context of the work. Thus, the study involves a close reading of Boethius’ De Consolatione Philosophiae in its original Latin. The views of modern scholars on the subject were also given due consideration for the purpose of comparison and analysis. Upon synthesising the Latin text and modern scholarship on the subject, it could be deemed that from the beginning Art (as represented by the Muses) is seen as a counter-force to philosophy. Thus, once Lady Philosophy comes to console Boethius her first task was to dismiss the Muses who had taken a firm grasp on him. The manner in which Philosophy dismisses them clearly shows that philosophy has no tolerance for art. Here, her reasons for the dismissal of them deserve equal attention. It is apparent that art is seen as a drive that distracts the mind from the reality. It indulges the mind with idle fancies thereby offering momentary pleasure and happiness. However, real remedy for sorrow or consolatione is only to be found in philosophy, which induces the mind to comprehend the true nature of things. Thus, it is imperative that the influence art holds on the mind should be removed before it could perceive the remedy prescribed by philosophy. For, art not only deviates the mind from the reality but also strengthens the emotions, which constitutes the lesser part of the human psyche. This is also the position of philosophers such as Plato. Accordingly, in conclusion it could be stated that Boethius’ work manifests the salient elements of the ancient clash between art and poetry and offers an interesting perspective on it from the point of view of literary criticism.
Language and contingent axioms of relative knowledge: a comparative study on Nagarjuna’s Sūnyatā and Derrida’s deconstruction
(University of Peradeniya, 2017-03-31) Kumara, J.D.A.
One of central teachings of Nāgārjuna (c. 150 – c. 250 CE) is Śūnyatā, which is a doctrine that asserts the transcendental nature of Ultimate Reality. It declares the phenomenal world to be void of all limitations of particularization and eliminates all concepts of Dualism. Hence, the concept of “emptiness” does not mean nonexistence, but rather it denotes interdependent co-arising, impermanence, and non-self. As per the Śūnyatā doctrine, no phenomenon has an eternal substance. According to Nāgārjuna’s teaching no objective reality lies outside language. Hence, past, present and future do not operate coevally. Nāgārjuna categorically demonstrated that there is no reality prior to language; reality has to be understood as a linguistic construct. The knowledge people produce should be understood in a relativistic framework and Nāgārjuna rejects the atomistic view that single words bring pieces of reality. Nāgārjuna’s thinking also paves the way to reject structuralistic and logocentric view of the language; putting signs or words as the centre of a system is inherently flawed as there is no universal truth to a signifier, no meaning outside of the signs and their perceived meaning by the user or context. Jacques Derrida (July 15, 1930 – October 9, 2004) who developed a form of semiotic analysis known as deconstruction, rejected the binary structure of language, and explained that meaning goes beyond the simple opposition of signifier/signified. Jacques Derrida's critical outlook over the relationship between text and meaning claimed contradictions are neither accidental nor exceptions; they are the exposure of certain "metaphysics of pure presence", an exposure of the "transcendental signified" always-already hidden inside language. Derrida wanted to deconstruct polarities that are derived by the language. Derrida came up with a concept named Différance which is the systematic play of differences, of the traces of differences, of the spacing by means of which elements are related to each other, that takes into account the fact that meaning is a question not only of synchrony with all the other terms inside a structure, but also of diachrony, with everything that was said and will be said, in History, difference as structure and deferring as genesis. Derrida is critiquing of Western thought as it is based on a hierarchy of binary oppositions: man/woman, birth/death, good/evil/ speech/writing, etc. In all such binaries, the left side of the slash Derrida sees as superior, favored, or privileged over the right, which is relegated to an inferior or subordinate position. Both Derrida and Nāgārjuna pointed out that meaning given derived by the language is contradictory and not bring pieces of reality. Views of both Derrida and Nāgārjuna are not logocentric, not ‘absolute. All in all, both of them resort to the fact that language is limited to conventional truth and cannot represent ultimate reality.
Flipped learning approach in Sri Lankan classroom for teaching citizenship education
(University of Peradeniya, 2017-03-31) Jayasooriya, U.G.S.B.K.; Jayasooriya, U.G.L.B.
Life Competencies and Citizenship Education (Civics) is taught to Sri Lankan students from grade 6 to 11. The subject covers lessons on society, social relationships, law, governance and so on which provide important and essential knowledge for an individual to become a social being. Despite the importance of the subject it can be identified as one of the least popular and least preferred subjects among Sri Lankan school students: initial observations and the discussions which were done with teachers who teach civics and with the students who learn the subject proved that majority of the students do not find it interesting to learn the subject. This action research was carried out to find whether flipped learning in combination with peer instruction model can be successfully adopted to improve students’ interest in learning Civics. Flipped learning is a student-centered pedagogical approach that encourages students to get first exposure to the learning materials prior to the class in order to focus on the processing part of the learning in the classroom. Peer Instruction model too is a similar kind of an approach that focus more on prior assignments like quizzes. Though these pedagogical approaches are successfully used by many education professionals throughout the world it is hardly being used in Sri Lankan context. So, intervention was done introducing flipped learning approach together with peer instruction model to a series of Civic lessons. Data were collected using semi structured questionnaire and observations before and after the intervention. The results showed that students have found the new way of teaching interesting and attractive. Most importantly every student in the study group commented on the new way of teaching in a positive manner. It was found that the students who were reluctant to learn Civics showed significant interest in learning the subject being inspired by the intervention. The results prove that Flipped learning and Peer Instruction model can be successfully used in Sri Lankan context to teach Civics by delivering lessons successfully while arousing students’ interest for learning. The study recommends more research based on flipped learning in order to identify whether it can be effectively used to diversify teaching learning atmospheres in order to strengthen live interactions between teachers and students inside Sri Lankan classrooms.
Amity or enmity: India-Sri Lanka boundary resolutions
(University of Peradeniya, 2017-03-31) Ekanayake, E.M.T.K.
Relations between Sri Lanka and India have been tense since the beginning of the written history of Sri Lanka. At various occasions, the relations had positively and negatively affected the functioning of the two countries. Being geographically and historically in close proximity to each other, there is an unbreakable bond between the two countries. There are notable features that both the countries share: Maritime boundary that divides the two nations is a good example. However, this study is aimed at finding out whether India-Sri Lanka boundary resolutions reflect peace or hostility. Further, the study explores the legal background behind the demarcation of the boundary and the issues that have arisen due to the boundary. A qualitative content analysis using secondary sources was utilized mainly to carry out the study which encompasses three major cyclical processes as describing, classifying and connecting. The agreements of 1702, during the Dutch colonial times, Sri Lanka maintained a threemile territorial sea which was within the reach of a cannon shot, the 1921 demarcation of “Fisheries Line”, the agreements of 1974 and 1976 that had legally demarcated the boundaries between the two countries were instrumental in defining the relationship between the two nations. Both countries have signed bilateral agreements on the maritime boundary as declared by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. (UNLOS). However, three major boundary-related issues were identified: the ownership of the Kachchathivu island, poaching of fishermen and refugee problem. But what was evident during the analysis was that India-Sri Lanka boundary resolution has gone beyond an issue between the boundaries and turned into a political contest between the two countries. The problems created due to the boundaries have been aggravated by geo-political tension between the countries. Results further affirm that, there is a clear legal demarcation of territories between the two countries. Yet, India-Sri Lanka boundary resolutions show enmity due to the very issues created by the boundary demarcation. With the political interferences, it has now taken a political dimension which has hindered the amicable relationship between the two countries.
Duty of confidentiality in international commercial arbitration: a lesson for Sri Lanka
(University of Peradeniya, 2017-03-31) Karunatilaka, K.M.C.R.
Arbitration refers to an extrajudicial dispute resolution mechanism where the parties to a contract agree to forward their dispute to a private justice system. One of the reasons why the parties in global business context prefer international commercial arbitration over other methods of dispute resolution is confidentiality. The simple meaning that can be attributed to the concept of confidentiality is that a party or an arbitrator has an obligation to keep all the information, documents and evidence submitted in the process of arbitration in private and not to disclose this information without the consent of the relevant party. Though the Institute for the Development of Commercial Law and Practice (ICLP), recognizes the duty of confidentiality, regrettably, this is a mere institutional rule. Since the Arbitration Act No.11 of 1995 of Sri Lanka had failed to address the need of confidentiality, it is essential to study whether Sri Lanka needs to identify confidentiality as a statutory duty of every arbitration agreement, in the process of becoming a hub for international commercial arbitration. A comparative study was conducted based on a collection of literature resources on foreign jurisdictions such as Australia, United States, Sweden and England in order to understand the significance of the principle of confidentiality. The English common law has continuously identified an implied obligation on the parties to not to use the documents or information obtained during arbitration process for any collateral purpose. By a Judgment of the High Court of Australia in 1995, it was held that an implied duty of confidentiality is not accepted in Australia. Due to this common-law rule, the commercial community has made an assumption that Australia is a less arbitration friendly seat. But identifying the significance of confidentiality, Australian International Arbitration Act was recently amended and the reforms brought the Australian Law in line with the international standards identified by the UNICITRAL model law. Both United States and Swedish Courts have held that duty of confidentiality should be included as an express duty under the agreement and in absence; an obligation should not be imposed on parties. The foremost outcome of this study indicates that the application of the principle of confidentiality in different jurisdictions has created a lack of uniformity. Further it is an accepted notion that complete confidentiality cannot be formulated, but a certain degree of confidentiality is vital for the purpose of protecting sensitive information of commercial community brought forward in International Commercial Arbitration. In the process of developing Sri Lanka as a hub for International Commercial Arbitration, a precise and stable background for the duty of confidentiality is a timely requirement. In summary, it can be stated that the prospective development of Sri Lanka as a seat of arbitration can be supported with the recognition of the concept of confidentiality as an implied duty in every arbitration agreement.
The impact of provisions of the prevention of terrorism act of Sri Lanka on the freedom from torture
(University of Peradeniya, 2017-03-31) Ratnayake, R.M.T.S.K.
Several laws were enforced in Sri Lanka to counter terrorism and the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act No. 48 of 1979 (PTA) holds prominence among them. The PTA had received severe criticism in the post-war regime based on the ground that it contravenes human rights principles. This issue has been discussed by journalists in numerous newspaper articles and it has been part of researches conducted by several non-governmental organizations on torture and the emergency laws of Sri Lanka. However, human rights could be subjected to certain limitations including public security. This research attempted to discover whether the provisions of the PTA has an impact on the freedom from torture and whether a balance between human rights and the prevention of terrorism could be achieved through reforming the PTA. The research was conducted with the objective of identifying the impact the provisions of the PTA have on the freedom from torture discovering possible reforms to be made to them in order to include safeguards against torture and the most suitable way of changing the law to achieve the abovementioned balance. A mixed methodology was employed in conducting this research, which heavily relied upon library research. The qualitative research method was used as well, where activists and legal professionals were interviewed to detect the points of tension between the provisions of the Act and the freedom from torture in the practical application of the Act. Five case studies were also conducted under the qualitative research method. The PTA was introduced as a temporary measure as the name suggests but has continued to be in force for nearly four decades. It was passed as being ‘urgent in the national interest’ under then Article 122 of the Constitution, thus granting the judiciary less time to determine the constitutionality of the Bill. It was discovered through the study that several provisions of the Act contradict with human rights and the principle of rule of law. For example, as per the Evidence Ordinance, confessions made to police or a forest officer is not admissible, but Section 16 of the PTA had rendered such confessions admissible for the purposes of the Act. Further, Section 9 enables long-term detention (three to eighteen months). Moreover, the PTA contains no safeguards against torture and to grant detainees access to legal counsel at the point of the arrest. Accordingly, it was evidenced by the research that although the PTA does not directly inflict any impediments on the freedom from torture, the provisions that clearly contradict with other human rights indirectly facilitate torture. It could be recommended that the provisions of the PTA should be revised or replaced to include safeguards against torture, remove the admissibility of confessions made to police officers, remove provisions that enable long-term detention without judicial oversight and grant detainees access to legal services at the point of arrest, or entirely repeal the Act to address aforementioned shortcomings.
UN convention and social policy for persons with disabilities in Sri Lanka – in search for a pathway to justice
(University of Peradeniya, 2017-03-31) Gamlath, S.
“I do not want to depend on others; I do not want decisions to be made for me; I do not want to be pitied and treated differently; I only want opportunities to learn and to demonstrate what I can do.” These few verses from an anonymous person with disability succinctly but so movingly narrate everything that persons with disabilities want to communicate to us. They demand quality of life equal to that of all others; freedom to make decisions for themselves; education so they can learn to become independent, productive and happy in life. They ask to be accepted for what they can do. In essence, they ask to be treated like everyone else and be included in all aspects of life - home, school, community, workplace etc. This requires a change in attitude and expectations of our society today; changes in educational practices; an open-door policy to include persons with disabilities in every aspect of community life. We already have “fancy” policies but, nevertheless, the anecdotal evidence shows that the facts about the lives of persons with disabilities in the country are still “ugly”. We have even recently formally ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRDP) and declared our full commitment to implement all what it recommends. There seems to be some work happening but very much “isolated activities” with only some “isolated impacts”. Therefore, it is felt that we still require a concerted holistic effort to establish policies and systems to ensure social justice for persons with disabilities as equal citizens in the country. With this fact in mind, with a social work perspective, this paper examines the existing policy in Sri Lanka against the recommendations set out in the UNCRDP. How the National Disability Policy (NDP), as the primary policy instrument in the country, facilitates implementation of the UNCRDP recommendations presented in the convention under 50 different articles was examined. The desk-research method was employed to collect information from the available materials including NDP and UNCRDP. In the analysis, rationale social policy analysis technique was applied, and mainly, four key areas of concern, rights recognition, access and opportunities, service monitoring, and prejudiced social attitudes, were subjected to comparative scrutiny. The paper discusses and concludes that even though some considerable work has happened, the current pieces of legislation are significantly fragmented and scattered. Therefore, the most important requirement is to have one powerful piece of legislation in terms of a national Act, incorporating again all the pieces of legislation that we currently have. It should have a careful and systematic response to the UNCRPD recommendations one-by-one and authorize and facilitate implementation and monitoring mechanisms at all national, provincial and local levels. We still have a long way to go.
Political participation in a multi-cultural context: a study of Ampara district of Sri Lanka
(University of Peradeniya, 2017-03-31) Withanawasam, A.
The literature on political participation is voluminous especially examining the pros and cons of political participation. However, there are a few studies on political participation in Sri Lanka they have not paid much attention to political participation in a multicultural context. The major objective of the present study is to fill the above gap in the Sri Lankan scholarship on politics. The study was carried out in the Ampara District. The rationale behind selecting the area was that it has been a multi-cultural space from the demarcation of the administrative district in 1961. The relevant information and data had been extracted from literary sources as well as from the field. The qualitative data gathering techniques such as key informant interviews, focus groups discussions, indepth interviews and observations were used. The data were descriptively analyzed. One of the key limitations of the study is the non-comparativeness. The study found that the ‘patron-client relationship’ of the political culture works as a mobilizing initiator for electoral turnout among the three major ethnic groups in the district. However, Muslims of the coastal area of the district had established their own political party marking a major departure point of the community’s pattern of the political participation. This development has to do with the ethnic conflict between the two ethnic groups of the country, i.e. Sinhalese and Tamils. There is a different pattern of political participation between Traditional inhabitant Sinhalese and settlers in colonization schemes of the government. The Traditional villagers are less interested in politics in and around elections, while Sinhalese in the colonies have been very active in electoral politics. This is a shared feature of both Muslims and Sinhalese living in the colonies. The reasons behind this commonality have to do with the high dependence on political patronage due to particular historicity of the two groups. Tamils living in the area tend to amend the political orders of the Tamil political elite based in Colombo and Jaffna. They tend to isolate themselves from other political parties. It is concluded that until Sri Lanka finds a lasting political solution to the larger ethnic issue, segregation and fragmentation in multi-cultural context remains the pattern of electoral politics and building an overall Sri Lankan identity is next to impossible.
An unseen perspective of rural development: rise of rural elite and implications for education in Sri Lanka
(University of Peradeniya, 2017-03-31) Udayanga, K.A. S.
In spite of modern and ever-changing values, caste division plays a significant role both in regular social interactions and in the ideal scheme of values in rural Sri Lanka. Therefore, the so-called rational interventions for rural development have long been struggling with inescapable socially defined obstacles which are thought to be rather irrational. Due to its fundamental functionality, caste has a strong socio economic dimension, and particularly interwoven with the rational social institutions such as education, health etc. The objective of the study is to understand how different caste groups in rural Sri Lanka are engaged in accumulating wealth of any kind in line with modern values and their mutual association with education. Employing guidelines provided by phenomenology, a case study was conducted. Walapne Division in Nuwaraeliya District is selected as the research area, and is composed of five cases. Focus group discussions and Interviews were used as data collection methods. Collected data were analyzed using narrative and thematic approach. Rural sector in Sri Lanka has undergone a transitional turmoil towards an unprecedented value system while preserving some traditional institutions. The so-called lower caste groups have used education as a way towards their material growth. Aristocracy appears to be a strong obstacle to the mobilization of the high caste people, particularly of women in terms of their educational progress. Because of the modern economic value system, some of the functions performed by lower castes have become market oriented, thereby giving rise to a new rural-economic elite. Life of the lower caste elite then became stable and it has inspired them towards a high societal platform; education has provided the necessary means for the lower class to achieve stable economic status, and education has reinforced the rise of lower caste people to an elite class, resulting in accumulation of wealth. Migration of resourceful persons from lower caste due to inner rural unrest, in return contributed to the sophistication of caste enclaves in rural areas. Suppressed caste identity and life would have adopted a new identity through modern values. Acquired prosperity, therefore, is subjected to sustenance congruent with outcomes of the school education. On the other hand, bonding social capital, both among men and women in any lower caste group was strengthened because of the school education. In conclusion, the rural sector in Sri Lanka has no exception from globalization, and subjected to unprecedented changes with many challenges. It has changed owing to rational interventions such as education. Although, the so-called irrational caste system still thrives, it is clear that education is a strong institution which has contributed to the rise of rural economic elite class that upholds a new value system in developing rural Sri Lanka.
Reconciliation in post -war Sri Lanka: an analysis of the implementation of the report of lessons learnt and reconciliation commission
(University of Peradeniya, 2017-03-31) Baskaran, S.
Sri Lanka is multiethnic in character, comprising a Sinhalese majority and three substantive minorities Sri Lankan Tamils, Muslims, Indian-origin Tamils. The country had been experiencing a large scale war over 26 years due to the prolonged nature of ethnic conflict, which finally concluded in 2009 after defeating the LTTE. Soon after the military victory over the LTTE, tasks have been undertaken by national and international initiatives, either bottom up or top down, to rebuild the country thereby constructing long-lasting peace in the nation. Fostering reconciliation is one of the main focuses to bridge the divided ethnic relationships. In order to implement this endeavor, as a prime national level initiative, the government of Sri Lanka started to establish various measures. In this context, establishing structural measures and constructing institutional changes for reconciliation in Sri Lanka are highly needed. Reconciliation is understood as a way for transforming conflict, and structural approach of reconciliation is viewed as a measure that can facilitate psychological change and thereby contribute to constructing a framework for stable peace. With those considerations, this research focuses on the newly formed commission of LLRC and its report as well as recommendations for promoting reconciliation in Sri Lanka by incorporating the major structural issues, stemmed directly for reconciliation and obstacle to implementing. Though this report still considered as an important document to provide an impetus to the ongoing reconciliation process, still there has not been adequate engagement put forward effectively on implementing those respected recommendations on the ground. The objective of the research is to evaluate the reconciliation progress of implementing the recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) in six key structural issues. This research is a qualitative study and aimed to evaluate the recommendations of the LLRC in six key structural issues and its implementation deficits. There is probably a large amount of literatures on reconciliation in the postconflict society. The study results show a strong correlation between security and reconciliation, which has not been closely focused by the school of thought of reconciliation. The study also found that feeling of insecurity associated with structural elements will not engineer and guarantee a genuine reconciliation. Therefore, this study proved that imposing structural measures to ensure the feeling of security has an efficacy to achieve the task of reconciliation. The structural issues are still observed in a greater degree as a legacy of the prolonged nature of the unresolved conflict.
Socio-economic status of female sanitary labourers in Colombo district, Sri Lanka with special reference to private sector cleaning services
(University of Peradeniya, 2017-03-31) Prakash, T.G.S.L.; Ranaweera, R.A.J.N.; Somerathna, K.M.S.
Sanitary labourers can be identified as one of the marginal communities in Sri Lanka. State and private organizations outsource their sanitary and cleaning services. Hence these services are provided by private service providers as well. Sanitary labourers employed under them are with minimum wages, facilities, and labour rights. The main objective of this study is to identify the socio-economic status of female sanitary labourers employed by private sanitary service providers in Colombo district. A sample of 31 female sanitary labourers was selected by random sampling method who works under 4 different service providers. Pretested questionnaires were used for data collection and data analysis was done using Microsoft Excel 2010. The age of sample range 32 – 72 yrs. 8(26%) below 50 yrs. 23(74%) above 50 yrs. 10(32%) above 60 and 1(3%) above 70 yrs. Service experience range 1 – 23 years: Mean 6.4, Median 4, Mode 4 yrs. 27(87%) attended school and range grade 2 – 10. 4(13%) did not. 8(30%) bellow grade 5 and 19(70%) grade 6 – 10. 18(58%) married, 7(22%) widows, 3(10%) unmarried, or separated. 7(39%) husbands are employed. 11(61%) husbands unemployed: 4(37%) elderly and unable to work, 2(18%) staying at home due to lack of proper job, or disabled, 1(9%) suffering from chronic illnesses, or drug addicted, or lazy or idle persons. 28 respondents have children: Mean, Median, and Mode equal to 3. 19 have married children: Mean 3, Median 2, and Mode 1. 14 have unmarried children: Mean 2, Median 2, and Mode 3. However, 7 have both married and unmarried children. Average income is SLR 18,000.00. Dependents status: 7(22%) respondent, husband, and unmarried children, 6(20%) respondent and husband, or respondent and married children, 4(13%) respondent only, 3(10%) respondent and unmarried children, 2(6%) respondent, husband, unmarried children, and parent, 1(3%) respondent, husband, married and unmarried children, or respondent, husband, and married children, or respondent, parent, and siblings. 28(90%) of respondents’ neighbours know respondents’ occupation and 3(10%) hide it. 28(90%) are involved in this job because there are no adequate qualifications for any other job. 3(10%) bankrupt persons, 1(3%) for additional income or as an easy way of income. Perception about life: 4(13%) very happy, 8(26%) happy, 8(26%) patient, 9(29%) sad, and 2(6%) very sad. The findings of the study show that the largest set of female sanitary labourers are over 50 years old, married, husbands unemployed, earn for them - their husbands and unmarried children, and lead a sad life.
Islamic reactions to western modernity: a critical analysis
(University of Peradeniya, 2017-03-31) Thowfeek, M.I.M.; Jamahir, P.M.
This paper attempts to explore Western modernity and its influences on the Islamic thought. No doubt that modernity has impacted the Islamic world but it has also made the West question itself. This paper discusses Islamic responses to the Western modernity. Three major Islamic responses to Western ideals of modernity can be seen; the first is modernism in Islam, which deals with modernization and secularization of Islam, Islamic thoughts and Muslims. The second is fundamentalism in Islam, in other words, the making of Islamic thoughts and life of Muslims more aligned with fundamentals of the religion as posited by the Quran and the Sunnah. This is a position directly in opposition to secularism. The third school of thought is the traditional approach to Islam. These three schools of thoughts have not only changed the Islamic world but also the entire world order. The first part of this paper explores Western ideals of modernity and critical thoughts on Western modernity using the views of Western philosophers such as Nietzsche, Max Weber, Adorno and Horkheimer. The second part deals with how modernity was responded to by the Islamic world using Islamic reformists, traditionalists and fundamentalists. Finally, the paper shows through comparison how though, there seems to be different views about modernity by the West and the Islamic world, some elements of the reactions are overlapping between the two. The paper also examines how these different responses play out in different contexts.
Decent housing for decent living: the discourse of slum free city in Colombo
(University of Peradeniya, 2017-03-31) Rasnayake, S.; Silva, K.T.; Herath, H.M.D.R.
In fact, the urban poor are seen as a serious development pathology in the process of neoliberal reconstruction of city. In this exercise, demolishing slums and resettling the displayed in high-rise apartments is widely approached by urban architects and planners. However, studies note that high-rise housing is still a controversial resettlement option since many such alternatives have either failed or had limited success. In this background, this examines the discourse on slum demolition and highrise housing with reference to an urban housing project, implemented in Colombo under the city beautification project (CBP) during the 2009-2014. The study reveals that the state used various discursive fields to support construction of high-rise housing and legitimatize its anti-slum policy. While labeling the slums as undesirable and unliberated areas, the project leaders strongly claimed that the slum community will be assimilated into middle class through high-rise living. Their main slogan was that 'the decent house will bring a decent life to the poor'. Facilities of new housing apartments such as attached bathrooms, commodes and comfortable bedrooms are used as nonverbal symbols to communicate that the re-housing project will bring upward social mobility to the urban poor. Moreover, the global policy discourse of MDGs has been a popular discursive field the state used to legitimize its anti-slum policy. Finally, the project leaders have used strategies such as creating emotions, a hypothetical future, rationality, voice of experts and altruism to create the discourse of 'slum free city'. Though the project has brought social mobility for some poor families, it has increased housing dissatisfaction among the majority of the re-settlers. Many residents face the issue of inadequate space in new apartments. Break up of communities and destruction of their livelihoods are serious adverse impacts that dragged the poor from frying pan to fire. The study concludes that upgrading living standard has become an attractive slogan for the state to implement its market oriented urban restructuring policies in the name of ensuring social sustainability.

Browse

Recent Submissions