Discourse and Practice of Singhalese Nationalism

The discourse of decentralisation and of village reform which forms an important element of Singhalese mass politics and nationalism today began in the 1930s and attained its zenith in the last 25 years. This article explores the circumstances that led to the emergence of ethnic nationalism that has transformed the village from a basis of Buddhism and a repository of profound knowledge into the basis of the Sinhala nation and the repository of the nation's destiny and strength