Sri Lankan Tamil Nationalism
Its Origins and Development in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries
A. J. Wilson
Through a succession of key stages since Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) became independent in 1948, its Tamil minority, historically concentrated in the north and east but with an important segment in Colombo, became alienated from the Sinhalese majority and, after peaceful opposition failed to secure its rights, resorted to an armed struggle.
The Tamil Tigers (LTTE) today appear to hold the key to their people's future. While they have suffered setbacks, including the loss of the Tamil capital, Jaffna, they remain a potent guerrilla force, able to strike with impunity at both military and civilian targets. The Tigers' grip on the Tamil population seems secure, as does their overseas support and funding from Tamil exiles in Britain, Canada, and Australia.
This book offers a concise history of the Sri Lankan Tamil nation, its culture, social make-up, and political evolution. In a final chapter, A. J. V. Chandrakanthan gives a first-hand account of life and attitudes inside the embattled Tamil areas today.
A. Jeyaratnam Wilson teaches in the Department of Political Science at the University of New Brunswick. He is the author of The Break-Up of Sri Lanka and S. J. V. Chelvanayakam and the Crisis of Sri Lankan Tamil Nationalism. A. J. V. Chandrakanthan teaches in the Department of Theology at Concordia University, Montreal.
1 comment:
THIS IS TOTALLY WRONG, HOW COME LTTE ASSIANATED TAMIL POLITICIANS & MODERATE TAMILS. TAMILS DO NOT SUPPORT LTTE OR MAKE DONATIONS WILLINGLY. THEY ARE FORCED TO DO SO. MANY TAMILS LIVING ABROAD ARE FORCED OR RATHER THREATNED TO SEND MONEY TO LTTE.MANY ARE THE INSTANCES IF PEOPLE DO NOT DO LTTE'S COMMANDS THEIR TORTUTED OR THEIR RELATIONS PAY WITH THEIR LIVES. LTTE IS A NUMBER ONE TERRORIST ORGANIZATION AND PEOPLE HAVE TO STUDY THE REAL SITUATION RATHER THAN RELY ON THIS FALSE PROPGANDA. YOU CANT GO BELIVING ONE SIDE OF THE STORY THE REAL SITUATION HAS TO STUDIED FROM AN UNBIASED ANGLE. THAT REQUIRES DEEP READING AND INVESTIGATION RATHER THAN READING MISLEADING PROPOGANDA.
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